In search of a treasure of jewels, three crooks hunt through post-revolutionary Russia and become embroiled in the most amusing adventures. A brilliant, biting satire full of situational comedy and wordplay, now presented in its complete form and new translation for the first time. On his mother-in-law's deathbed, Ippolit Worobjaninow learns her best-kept secret: in one of the twelve chairs from the family's old dining room, the once wealthy aristocrat has hidden her jewels. Worobjaninow, who has been leading a miserable provincial existence as a registrar since the outbreak of the revolution, sets out to find the million-dollar treasure. Soon, he encounters a fierce rival: Father Fyodor, a clever priest, has also managed to extract the secret from the dying woman. Ostap Bender, a small-time crook and "great schemer," is equally audacious and brazen.