This absurd parody is based on the one hand on the medieval play, "Everyman", and on the other hand, on Alkestes of Euripides.
The Death appears like a Nazi official who has made a clerical error: Pozna instead of
Posna. Therefore, Count Posna von Gulgelewitsch (Hebrew and in Russian = Son of the death''s-head) has the unique possibility to find somebody, until Friday the day after tomorrow, who is ready to die in his stead. He tries it first with his wife, who is not ready of course, and neither is anyone else. But then he gets, nevertheless, to bring her to it by trickery. In the end she withdraws again, and when Posnas grave is already shoveled, he hands over, again by a trick, a poor child to Death.