A desperate man wanders around the streets of St. Petersburg. His life having lost its meaning, he is determined to kill himself. Nothing matters anymore and there is no point in making his existence even more painful than it already is. He figures it would be best to shoot himself. A poor little girl crosses his path and begs for some help, but the miserable man sends her away. He goes home and takes the revolver. Then a strange thought pops up in his mind. He feels guilt for not helping the girl. He spends some hours contemplating this and trying to put his conscience to sleep. Eventually, he falls asleep and a strange dream comes up in his mind. Will he wake up a new man or will he be even more determined to end his life? Find out the answers in "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man".