Alexis Ivanovitch is a young Russian who lives in Roulettenberg with the General and his family. He is a Russian teacher with a small salary. As luck would have it Alexis Ivanovitch witnesses all kind of family intrigues love triangles and unbelievable failures. He is himself madly in love with Polina Alexandrovna while the latter loves the Marquis de Griers. To win her sympathy Alexis Ivanovitch plays roulette on her behalf and fulfil all her orders. However after winning a good deal of money his love for Polina Alexandrovna takes a back seat. He becomes completely submissive to roulette and its turn of chance. Consequently he comes to the conclusion that roulette is the only way of acquiring money and social status. Roulette gives him the feeling of power luck and victory and even love seems less valuable in comparison with game passion. Thus he ruins himself and who knows maybe one day he may rise from the dead or fall deeper into the 'moving wheel' of his roulette addiction...