Ivan Denisovich (the protagonist and also the main character) is in a gulag somewhere, serving a sentence for a crime he may or may not have committed. In fact, he may have committed no crime at all, which all seems a bit unjust. But Ivan isn't sad — he posititates the negatives with the power of positive thinking! Despite his suspect incarceration, he's gainfully employed as a mason and happy with his lot — he gets to work with his hands every day, and if he's lucky, there might be a pinch of tobacco to wrap in a scrap of filthy paper and smoke!