At the casino in Roulettenburg, Germany, a Russian family awaits news that a wealthy relative has died. To their dismay, Granny (far from dead), arrives and begins gambling away their inheiritance at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, Alexey Ivanovich, a notorious gambler, longs for a member of the family, but fate seems determined to keep them apart. As fortunes are squandered and gained, lives are increasingly tied to the fickle rules of chance.