Yuli Ivanovich Blok is a music lover and enthusiast of early sound recording, who in 1889 was the first to bring Edison's phonograph to Russia, came up with the idea to record the great pianist Anton Rubinstein's playing on a phonograph. But the pianist flatly refused to sign up. Then those present, among whom was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, just started messing around with the device, recording everything that comes to mind. The film is based on a famous case that occurred in January 1890.

A family living on the outskirts of Moscow are mired in quarrels, discomfort and mutual oppression. They spit negative emotions at each other, forgetting about love, compassion and God. A tragedy will take them through a belated catharsis.