Living together in a workers' dorm, Katerina and her friends are determined to make it in Moscow. But when a boorish cameraman forces himself on her, Katerina finds herself pregnant and alone as her friends move on. Twenty years later, Katerina is a factory director, outpacing her old roommates career-wise, yet still alone but for her daughter. Love seems possible again when she meets a genial mechanic.

The film consists of four short stories, each of which tells about the love story of the main character throughout her life. A simple, fragile girl turns out to be stronger and more courageous than many men around her.