Woland's Visit to Moscow

Woland, the devil, arrives in Moscow with his retinue and causes a series of magical and satirical disruptions.

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Arrival at Patriarch's Ponds

The Devil's Debut A Fateful Meeting At the hot spring sunset, two writers sit at the Patriarch's Ponds. The editor Mikhail Alexandrovich Berlioz and the poet Ivan Nikolaevich Ponyrev, known as Homeless, are discussing an anti-religious poem. Suddenly, a stranger appears, claiming to be a foreign professor of black magic. He engages them in a conversation about God's existence, predicting Berlioz's imminent death by decapitation. The Prophecy Unfolds The stranger, who is none other than Woland, tells Berlioz that his head will be cut off by a Russian Komsomol girl. He also reveals that he was present at Pontius Pilate's trial of Yeshua Ha-Nozri. Berlioz dismisses him as mad, but as he leaves to call for help, he slips and falls under a tramcar, his head severed. The prophecy is fulfilled. The Aftermath Ivan Homeless, shocked, tries to chase Woland but fails. The poet's pursuit leads him to a series of strange events, culminating in his arrest and confinement in a psychiatric clinic.

Expelling Likhodeev

The Naughty Apartment A Hangover Surprise Stepan Likhodeev, director of the Variety Theatre, wakes up with a terrible hangover in his apartment on Sadovaya Street. He finds a stranger in his bedroom, who introduces himself as Professor Woland. Woland, along with his retinue including Koroviev, Behemoth, and Azazello, confronts Likhodeev about his neglect of duties. The Verdict Woland's companions accuse Likhodeev of incompetence and corruption. They decide to remove him from Moscow. Azazello suggests throwing him out, and with a snap of his fingers, Likhodeev vanishes. He later finds himself in Yalta, sitting on a jetty, disoriented. The Empty Apartment Woland and his retinue take over the apartment, setting the stage for further mischief. The apartment's cursed reputation continues, as the previous tenants had mysteriously disappeared.

Black Magic Seance

The Performance at the Variety Theatre The Arrival of the Magician At the Variety Theatre, the third part of the program begins with a bicycle act, followed by the entrance of the mysterious foreign artist, Woland. He is accompanied by his assistant Koroviev and the cat Behemoth. The audience is intrigued by their appearance. The Tricks Koroviev begins with a card trick, then causes a rain of banknotes from the ceiling. The audience scrambles to collect the money. The master of ceremonies, Georges Bengalsky, tries to expose the trick as hypnosis, but Koroviev and Behemoth savagely tear off his head. The head, however, continues to speak, begging for mercy. Woland orders the head to be put back, and Bengalsky is restored but traumatized. The Ladies' Shop Koroviev then opens a magical shop where women can exchange their old clothes for Parisian fashion. A frenzy ensues as women rush to the stage. The seance ends with the exposure of Arkady Apollonovich Sempleyarov's infidelity, causing a scandal.

Chaos in State Institutions

The Suit and the Choir The Empty Suit At the Commission on Spectacles, the chairman Prokhor Petrovich is visited by a mysterious man (Koroviev). Annoyed, he exclaims, "Devil take me!" and instantly disappears, leaving only an empty suit writing at his desk. His secretary, Anna Richardovna, is hysterical. The police are called. The Singing Affiliate At the city affiliate, a man in checkered trousers (Koroviev) organizes a choral singing club. After he leaves, the staff cannot stop singing, even when they want to. They are eventually taken to Stravinsky's clinic in trucks, still singing. The Currency Deal Earlier, the chairman of the house committee, Nikanor Ivanovich Bosoy, is tricked by Koroviev into accepting a bribe in dollars. He is arrested and later dreams of a theatre where currency dealers are forced to confess. The dream reflects his guilt and the absurdity of the Soviet system.

The Visit of the Uncle

The Greedy Relative The Telegram Maximilian Andreevich Poplavsky, Berlioz's uncle, receives a strange telegram announcing Berlioz's death and funeral. He travels to Moscow, hoping to claim Berlioz's apartment. The Confrontation At the apartment, he is met by Koroviev and Behemoth, who mock him and tell him that the apartment is not available. They force him to leave, threatening him with supernatural powers. The Departure Poplavsky, terrified, abandons his plans and returns to Kiev, realizing that the apartment is cursed. This subplot illustrates the greed and opportunism of relatives.

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