Provincial Russia, 1920s. Tikhon is under the thumb of his formidable mother, Kabanicha. She orders him away on business, leaving his wife, Kátya, humiliated and prey to adulterous thoughts of Boris, a rich neighbour’s nephew. Varvara, Kabanicha's adopted daughter, arranges to be with her lover, Kudrjash, in a secluded garden at night, and engineers a meeting between Kátya and Boris.

Despite Kátya’s determination to remain faithful to her absent husband, she eventually succumbs to her feelings and declares her love for Boris. A few days later, as a thunderstorm throws everyone together for shelter, Kátya, tormented by guilt, confesses her infidelity to her returned husband and Kabanicha before rushing off. Boris is sent away by his uncle. Unable to bear the public shame and the taunts of her mother-in-law, Kátya takes her own life.