The common theme of the short story film is the famous duels between two important historical figures: Pushkin and Casanova. Pushkin's tragic duel, which ended his life prematurely, is portrayed in connection with the creation of his short story "The Dirty Shot", while Casanova's story is conceived in a rather ironic and humorous way. The point is that the famous seducer never actually seduced, on the contrary, all his life he was in a constant battle with female seductions.

A notorious criminal is committed to a psychiatric ward pending a determination of his sanity. With the help of a young woman, one of his theft victims who has fallen in love with him, he manages to escape. He wants to build a middle-class future with her, but she tries to persuade him to pull off one last big heist.