A film combining live action and stop-motion animation about the adventures of the wooden boy Pinocchio and his friends - Pierrot, Malvina and Artemon the Poodle, about the mysterious golden key that opens the cherished door, about the good Papa Carlo and the evil Karabas-Barabas, Duremar, Basilio the Cat and Alice the Fox.

The 1890s. One of the cities on the Volga River. The young wife of a merchant falls in love with Artem, a “Volga bogatyr,” a man of enormous strength and violent temper. She dreams of leaving with him for the countryside. Her jealous husband bribes hooligans to kill Artem.