Rodya, a student in 19th century Russia, believes himself to be an extraordinary person and because of this greatness to have the right to commit any crime for the good of society and remain unpunished. To this end he murders a corrupt pawnbroker and his innocent sister who accidentally witnesses the vile act. Rodya avoids immediate prosecution but decends into the gnawing, agonizing clutches of guilt and finally into the hands of justice.

This is Dostoevsky's classic tale of murder, suspense and consequence; how one man's selfish act changes his own life and the lives of everyone close to him.