Hadži Trifun is a prominent Serbian merchant, who strives to maintain peace with the Turkish authorities, but also to maintain his reputation and influence in Vranje, an important Turkish city near the border with liberated Serbia. Trifun's troubles are not only caused by the powerful Turkish beys, but also by his own family. Tasana, the widow of Đorđe, the son of Haji Trifun, can't stand being locked in a dark room any longer. And several men were charmed by her beauty. Haji Trifun's second son, Mita, is not overly interested in trade, while the third son, Jovca, wants to drive his wife, the mother of his two children, to a monastery and marry for the third time.