The story takes place during the day in the market square. Two ordinary people walking along it, the treasurer Pocheshikhin and the correspondent of "Son of the Fatherland" Optimov, drew attention to a flock of starlings flying past. The flock sat down in the garden of the archpriest's father. During the discussion about where the flock finally sat down, in the garden of the father of the archpriest or the father of the deacon Vratoadov, passers-by began to gather around them: three old pilgrims, the father himself, Archpriest Vosmistishiev, deacon Evstigney, local vacationers, clerks.
People began to worry whether there was a fire somewhere. Gradually a crowd gathered. They called the mayor Akim Danilych, who began to disperse the crowd. Firefighters appeared and came without water or equipment. During the excitement of the gathered crowd, a new organ received from Moscow began to sound in a nearby tavern. Hearing the organ, the crowd flocked to the tavern.
In the evening, Akim Danilych, at the grocery store, wrote a letter about this event, in which he thanked "with tears the One who did not allow bloodshed."