Loosely based on a play "Na dne" (English: The Lower Depths) by Maxim Gorky. The original play was written during the winter of 1901 and the spring of 1902, depicting a group of impoverished Russians living in a shelter near the Volga.
The whole story takes place in an abandoned building. Another location where the characters spend their time, the bar called "Kippari" (English: Skipper) is only mentioned during the film.