The action takes place in the house of the Kartashevs. The head of the family is retired general Nikolai Semenovich Kartashev. The harsh nature and attitude of Nikolaev general Kartashev Sr. give a very definite direction to the upbringing of children, among whom Tyoma, the eldest in a family of boys, turns out to be the main "arsonist of ordinary excitement", which means that his pranks become the subject of the closest attention of his father, resisting "sentimental "The upbringing of a son," developing "a" nasty slobber "from him. However, the mother of Tyoma, Aglaida Vasilievna, a smart and finely educated woman, takes a different view on the education of her own son. In her opinion, any educational measures should not destroy human dignity in a child, turn him into a “fenced beast”, intimidated by the threat of corporal punishment. Eight-year-old Tyoma, being between the two poles of understanding parental duty and explaining his actions to himself and others, is trying to predict the reaction of each of the parents.
Such is the first meeting with the hero, when he, having accidentally broken his father’s favorite flower, cannot honestly admit his act: the fear of father’s cruelty exceeds confidence in maternal justice. This is the reason for all of the hero’s subsequent “exploits”: the unthinkable gallop on the Gnedko stallion, the torn bonnas, the broken sudokas and, finally, the stolen sugar - the whole “story of a sad day” - the first day of the story ending for Tyoma with severe fatherly punishment. The evil memory of such executions will remain with Tyoma for many years. So, after almost twenty years, accidentally finding himself in his native home, he recalls the place where he was whipped, and his own feeling for his father, "hostile, never reconciled."
In this early period, it is important for the mother of Tyoma that, “despite the hustle and bustle of feelings” and the variety of childhood impressions that give rise not only to whims, but also to the most rash acts, a warm heart sits in her son’s chest. The attentive but demanding love of Aglaida Vasilievna resonates in the soul of a boy who readily tells her the story of his misfortunes. After sincere recognition and remorse, Tyoma feels especially elevated feelings, but, being emotionally excited by the physical sufferings suffered, resulting in the subsequent illness, he manifests thoughtless courage and performs a truly courageous act.
The “Having a Smoked Minion” recalls his beloved little dog, Bug. Having learned from the nanny that “some kind of Herod” had thrown her into an old well, Tyoma first in a dream, and then in reality rescues his pet. Memoirs of a feeling of disgust from contact with the "stinking surface" and the "mucous walls of a half-decayed log house" remained for a long time in the memory of Tyoma. This episode will turn out to be such a strong emotional impression that later on through the prism of what happened to him that memorable summer night, the hero interprets all the most difficult circumstances of his own life (for example, in the third part of the tetralogy, the hero falls ill with syphilis - in a farewell note to his mother, he compares himself with the Beetle, thrown into the well).
Then Tyomins "exploits" end with an ice compress, fever delirium and several weeks of serious illness. However, the child’s healthy body takes over - recovery follows, and warm, reconciling weather in the autumn creates the mood in the hero when “everything is the same around”, “everyone pleases with its monotony” and again there is an opportunity to “heal with one common life”.
The recovery of Tema coincides with another important event, apart from pre-gymnasium expectations and preparations. Tyoma is allowed to visit the “hired yard”, the wasteland rented by Kartashev’s father, where he could spend the whole day “rushing around with the kids”, “surrendering to the sensations of life of his new friends”: their games in “jigu” (view of the top), sorties to the cemetery and walks to the sea. So another two years of free life passed, and the gymnasium arrived. Tema passes the first grade exam - the first fears of a "ferocious Latinist" begin and the adoration of the good-natured teacher of natural history, the severity of the first friendly experiences arises. But gradually the emotional upsurge is replaced by a more even, everyday mood, and the days drag on, “colorless with their monotony, but also strong and irrevocable with their results”.
Against the background of generally recognizable impressions, the acquisition of a “kind and meek” classmate Ivanov as a friend, who turns out to be quite a well-read boy compared to Tema, is of particular importance. Thanks to him, in the second grade Kartashev reads Main Reed and Gogol. However, after an unpleasant story, Ivanov is expelled from the gymnasium, and the friendship between them ceases: not only because of a lack of common interests, but also because Ivanov witnesses the cowardly act of his friend. For Tyoma, this test does not end with a break with Ivanov: in the class, the reputation of the “issuer” is assigned to him, and he has to survive several days of “heavy loneliness”.
However, Tyoma will still meet with Ivanov in his life, while studying in St. Petersburg, and meanwhile he has new friends with whom, full of adventurous and romantic dreams, he makes plans to escape to America so as not to go “the beaten path of vulgar life.” Friends who are keen on building a boat for a sea voyage show much less eagerness to study. This results in negative marks in the gymnasium magazine. The theme hides its "successes" from home, so subsequent events are completely unexpected for them. "America is not burned out"; the company earned the nickname "Americans", and in the meantime, it was time for exams when a general idleness was discovered. Kartashev’s fear of failing exams gives rise to various fantasies, among which is the thought of “suicide” through “swallowing matches”, which ended happily and without consequences. Tyoma passes exams and enters third grade.
It was at this time that Tyoma came closer to his father, who became softer, more affectionate and more and more sought after the society of the family. First, the laconic Kartashev Sr. tells his son about "campaigns, comrades, battles." But the strong body of Nikolai Semenovich begins to change him, and soon the noisy and cheerful house of the Kartashevs is filled with "sobs of an orphaned family."
The first part of the tetralogy ends with this sad event, and in the second book, “High School Students,” the reader meets with Tema Kartashev, a sixth-grade student.