The novel describes the life of the protagonist Alyosha (name in Gorky's article) from 1871 to 1884. During this period, he made a living by picking wild fruits with his grandmother and selling them. He worked as a draftsman's apprentice, as a dishwasher on a ship, and as an apprentice in an icon workshop. On the road of life, he went through many ups and downs and dealt with all kinds of people at the bottom of society, but he read a lot of books whenever he had the opportunity. Life experience and a lot of reading expanded Alyosha's horizons. He was determined to "be a strong person and not give in to the environment." With such firm belief, he left his hometown and went to Kazan.
