"The Power of Darkness" is a tale of moral decay and the heavy burdens of hidden sins. The narrative explores the complexities of human relationships alongside a backdrop of rural Russian life. Betrayal, guilt, and redemption weave through the characters' lives, leading to a dramatic and revealing climax.

The Peasant's Household

Peter Ignátitch, a prosperous yet ailing peasant, is forty-two, while his much younger wife, Anisya, is thirty-two. Despite her marriage, Anisya's youthful vitality draws her into an affair with Nikita Akimitch Tchilikin, the farm's hired hand. Peter, perceiving Nikita as idle, contemplates firing him, but Anisya fears being overwhelmed by the workload if Nikita leaves.

Love and Manipulation

In a private moment, Nikita assures Anisya that he will remain faithful, despite his marriage plans. Anisya, desperate, threatens self-harm should he leave, suggesting he could become the farm's master once Peter passes. Matryona, Nikita's mother, enters, revealing that the marriage plan stems from his father, not her, and urges Nikita to leave the room.

Plotting and Poison

Alone with Matryona, Anisya professes her love for Nikita, prompting Matryona to reveal her awareness of the affair. She offers Anisya poison and advises using it to hasten Peter's end, suggesting Nikita would be a capable farm master. Matryona elaborates on the situation, noting that Nikita's father, Akim, insists on his marriage to Marina, an orphan with whom Nikita had a past involvement.

Breaking Promises

Peter and Akim discuss Nikita's marriage prospects on their return. Initially supportive, Peter changes his stance once Matryona accuses Marina of promiscuity. Nikita, denying any past with Marina, leads to the cancellation of the marriage. Despite Marina's heartfelt plea for his love, Nikita dismisses her, claiming disinterest.

A Sinister Turn

Half a year later, Peter's health declines, and Anisya grows anxious about the undisclosed location of his money pouch. She confides to Matryona about poisoning Peter's tea. As they converse, Peter emerges, seeking Nikita's forgiveness—a dying man's ritual. Although remorse briefly grips Nikita, Matryona discovers the pouch around Peter's neck, and Anisya retrieves it, handing it to Nikita before expressing a formal lament for Peter's death.

Shifting Loyalties

With Peter gone for nine months, Nikita now weds Anisya, assuming control of the farm. However, his interest shifts to Akoulina, Peter's daughter from his first marriage, leaving Anisya in fear of her murderous past being exposed.

An Unwanted Child

Matryona arranges a marriage for the pregnant Akoulina, concealing her condition by claiming illness. Meanwhile, Akoulina gives birth in the barn. Torn between duty and conscience, Nikita hesitates over the newborn's fate, but Anisya compels him to dig a grave in the cellar. Reluctantly, he complies, burdened by shared guilt over Peter's murder.

An Unbearable Act

When Anisya presents the child, still alive, to Nikita, he recoils in horror. Despite his reticence, Anisya and Matryona push him into the cellar, where he kills the infant. Emerging distraught, Nikita threatens violence and is tormented by the child's cries, fleeing to drink away his guilt.

Reckoning at the Feast

During Akoulina's wedding celebration, Nikita encounters Marina, who has turned her life around. In a moment of vulnerability, he confesses to her that his true happiness was with her. Marina, overwhelmed, departs, leaving Nikita wrestling with his misery. Matryona and Anisya urge him to bless the newlyweds, but he contemplates suicide before Mitritch, a drunken guest, inspires him with a tale of fearlessness.

The Confession

Nikita, holding his father Akim's hand, faces the wedding guests. Instead of offering a blessing, he collapses, confessing his sins and seeking forgiveness from those he wronged. Akoulina reveals her knowledge of her father's poisoning, and a police officer present wants to arrest Nikita. However, Akim insists on allowing Nikita to handle his spiritual reconciliation first. As Nikita admits to seducing Akoulina and killing her child, he turns to his father for absolution. Akim assures him of divine mercy, and Nikita is taken away, burdened yet unburdened by his confession.