Prince Stepan Kasatsky experiences a disappointment with his fianc ̌and decides to become a monk! There is a story line, but beneath it, Father Sergius struggles to find peace and, if not happiness, then at least contentment. But he is always disillusioned and ultimately unsatisfied. Only in the end does he find his way by letting go of what he struggled to attain all his life, id est to be better than everyone else in whatever he did, and settle for the mundane.