The Twelve Chairs

On his mother-in-law's deathbed, Vorobyaninov learns that a fortune of jewels is sewn into the seat cushion of one of the twelve dining chairs. The revelation comes as the Bolshevik era has already transformed private wealth into state property. This moment sparks his obsession with recovering the fortune at any cost.

Father Fyodor, who had come to administer the last rites, decides to abandon the Church to pursue the fortune for himself. He sees a chance to escape poverty and profit from the hunt. He joins Vorobyaninov in the search for the jewels.

A homeless con-artist, Ostap Bender, meets the disgraced aristocrat and manipulates his way into a partnership. The two set off together to locate the hidden jewels and share in the potential fortune.

They learn that the chairs, along with all private property, were appropriated after the Russian Revolution and that the chairs have been split up and sold individually. The scope of their search expands beyond one house to many sellers and locations. This makes the hunt a national scavenger tour.

With false leads and misdirections, Vorobyaninov and Bender travel across the country, opening and ruling out each chair in turn. Their search is a game of patience and deception, testing their resolve at every stop. The odds grow as witnesses, guards, and traders complicate their pursuit.

Bender pretends to be a Department of Chairs official, luring Fyodor into a wild goose chase to locate a similar set of eleven chairs in Siberia. The ruse kicks off a dangerous pursuit across vast distances.

Fyodor makes the trek to Siberia, only to be thrown out of the engineer's house and find no jewels. The failure deepens his desperation and confirms that the plan is ill-fated. He has to improvise as the hunt continues.

When the engineer moves to the Black Sea, Fyodor tailors his pursuit, buying counterfeit chairs in the hope of sealing a deal with the jewels still out of reach. The ploy adds another layer of deception to the chase.

Fyodor discovers that none of the chairs contains jewels and, overwhelmed by failure, attempts to take his own life. The moment underlines the peril and fragility of the treasure hunt.

During a chase, Vorobyaninov and Bender retrieve a chair from a circus, and Fyodor, in pursuit, clambers up the side of a mountain with the chair in tow. He soon realizes he cannot get down without help, complicating their escape.

Vorobyaninov and Bender leave Fyodor to his fate when they decide to press on separately. The rift tests the fragile alliance as the chase continues to intensify.

Back in Moscow, they discover the last chair is in a recreation centre built for railway workers. The presence of many witnesses makes the theft far more risky than before.

They attempt to retrieve the chair after hours, entering through a window unlocked by Bender. The cushion is empty, and a watchman explains the jewels funded the recreation centre's construction.

In a fit of rage, Vorobyaninov shatters the chair and assaults the officer who summons backup. Bender seizes the moment to slip away with him into the night.

The pair considers separation to avoid the authorities, but Vorobyaninov feigns an epileptic seizure to attract a crowd. Bender then begs passers-by to donate, and the pair cement their partnership in crime by turning the moment into a con together.