Igor Dugin - unscrupulous and aggressive collector, able to make any person pay the debt. One day his partner suggests the collector to argue that he will not be able to 'beat out' the debt from a seemingly hopeless case - a figure of culture Lopatkin. As an experienced specialist, Dugin quickly realizes that Lopatkin's only value is an old ring. Not wanting to give away the family heirloom, Lopatkin decides to swallow the ring.