小说主人公拉斯柯尔尼科夫是一个穷困潦倒的大学生。他受到放高利贷的老太婆伊凡诺夫娜的盘剥后心生不满，于是在一个夜晚杀了伊凡诺夫娜，同时也错杀了她的妹妹。他犯罪后心灵饱受煎熬，几乎精神崩溃。后来在女友和妹妹等人的帮助下，投案自首。（Raskolnikov, the hero in the novel, was a former college student. He was irritated by the old woman Alyona Ivanovna, who was a money-lender exploiting him heavily. One night, he killed Ivanovna, and his sister in an accidental way. After committing the crime, the hero felt almost spiritually collapsed. With the help of his girlfriend and sister, he surrendered to the police in the end. ）