Based on the play of the same name by F. Dumanoir and D'Ennery about the pure and strong love of the dancer Maritana, the favorite of the poor of Madrid, and the unemployed vagabond - Grand , a courageous and noble defender of the oppressed.

Negina, a talented actress at a provincial theater, must leave the stage because her purity of behavior is incompatible with theatrical customs. She loves the student Meluzov, and both dream of an honest, hard-working life. Harsh reality destroys her plans. A natural actress, Negina is unable to leave the theater, and in order to serve art, she is forced to betray her ideals and sell herself. After agonizing doubts, the actress becomes the mistress of the wealthy landowner Velikatov and leaves with him. Meluzov, left alone, angrily denounces the depraved "admirers of talent," the masters of the city.

This case has been under investigation for five years, it has gone through all the courts, and there are so many papers in this case that they are "carried from one court to another on a cart." The case is known as the Muromsky case. The investigation is being conducted against Lidochka. She is suspected of knowing about Krechinsky's intention to rob Muromsky, of assisting him in this, and of providing this criminal assistance because she was having an illicit love affair with him.

The vacation ends, and the secretary of the regional committee, Vasily Denisov, assumes his former duties. On this day, I had to delve into the very difficult case of the old communist Chernogus, the head of the museum, who was prosecuted for possession of weapons.

Something went wrong with the chairman of a prosperous collective farm, both at home and in the general household. And when they sent a new secretary of the party organization, he got really angry and went to Alexandra. But he continued to worry about the collective farm and therefore always waited for news through her — how were they without him? And he knew that no one would come for him. But one day an accident happened on the collective farm, he was called and Alexandra could not keep him...

The satirical piece is based on an anecdotal story: the "Thick Rope" cooperative, which twists three thin ropes into one, sends its products to the "Thin Rope" cooperative through the district store's accounting department, bypassing its counters. The thin rope then follows in the opposite direction, bypassing the same legal entities.