The narration of the work is conducted in the first person - the artist. "House with a mezzanine" is dedicated to the period when the narrator lived for some time in the Belokurov estate of one of the counties of T. province. According to him, the owner of the estate complained that he could not find a person who could pour out his soul.
During the walk, the narrator went into an unfamiliar estate, where he saw two beautiful girls at once. A few days later, one of them came to the estate, who collected money for the peasants affected by the fire. It turned out that the girl’s name is Lydia Volchaninova, and she lives near the estate. After the death of her father, who several years ago was an honorary adviser, the Lida family moved to the village, and she herself became a teacher.
One of the holidays came, and the storyteller, along with the Belokurov, went to the Volchaninovs, where he met Ekaterina Pavlovna, the mother of Lida, and her younger sister Zhenya, who was most often called Misya because of her childhood habit of referring to her own governess. The house with the mezzanine in which the family lived looked quite solid.
The author is increasingly visiting the Volchaninovs, and mutual sympathy arises between him and Misu. But with Lida, on the contrary, the relationship did not work out, because she hated the idle lifestyle and tried to impress the working man. She did not like the landscapes of the house, since they did not have a folk theme. In many ways, Lida is the head of the family, and mother and Zhenya simply tried not to argue with her, because they were afraid of her temper. In the story "The House with the Mezzanine", the brief content of which does not allow to reveal in detail all the characters, a detailed description of the character of Lydia is given.
A skirmish occurs between her and the narrator, during which he notices that charitable works in favor of the peasants are not able to give a positive result, but rather, on the contrary, only bring harm. According to the narrator, assistance to the peasants in the face of the organization of hospitals and schools is unable to free them. On the contrary, even more prejudices appear in people's lives. He also noted that they will now have to pay the zemstvo for receiving books, which automatically implies an increase in the amount of work. Lida insists on her, the family supports her. Gradually, the author ceases to like the house with a mezzanine, in many ways this is facilitated by Lydia.
The narrator confesses I am in love after another evening walk. The girl reciprocates him, but immediately tells everything to Ekaterina Pavlovna and her sister, warning the narrator that it is not customary to keep secrets in their family. The next day, the hero arrives at the Volchaninovs estate, and Lida informs him that Misha and his mother went to Penza, after which they will most likely go abroad.
When the narrator returns, he is caught up with a boy with a note from Zhenya, in which she apologizes to him and says that she could not disobey the will of her sister.
The author never saw the Volchaninov family again. Once he accidentally met with Belokurov and he said that Lydia still lives and works as a school teacher. On the other hand, the owner of the estate could not tell anything intelligible.
The hero of the story gradually forgets a house with a mezzanine and a family in which Lydia is the main one. Only in moments of bitter loneliness does he recall the Volchaninovs and hope that someday he will see Misya again.
The story "House with a mezzanine" is among the best works of A.P. Chekhov, in 1960 he was filmed.