The short story deals with an incident in the life of the narrator, who after 15 years of separation meets a close friend of him. He speculates on the matter of how his friend, Simon Radeven, could change in such a long time, paying attention to the fact of his marriage on a simple provincial girl. The expectations haven’t proved to be true, though Simon appears to be rather stout, but still full of wit and energy. He’s got now not only his peasant wife, but also 5 children. The two friends drive to the Simon’s house, where the narrator is given a room and got acquainted with Madame Radevin’s grandfather. All the Radevins mock the old man and the narrator is promised to see a delightful and amusing scene in the evening. During supper the grandfather is given little portions of food, but he is eager to devour all the food he sees on the table. The meals are placed almost within the reach of the man, but he tries in vain to get to them. The continuous torture of the oldman amuses the family. The desired sweet rice is given only a spoonful to the grandpa, so he cannot be satisfied. The narrator gets weary and concerned of the situation, but Simon explains that poor health doesn’t allow the oldman to eat more. The story ends with the narrator’s meditations on the part of the oldman and philosophical questions of life.