1998, Nalchik. A Jewish family is in trouble: the youngest son and his bride do not come home, and in the morning, a ransom note arrives. The ransom is so high that the family is forced not only to sell its small business, but also to seek help from its fellow tribesmen.

1945, Leningrad. World War II has devastated the city, demolishing its buildings and leaving its citizens in tatters, physically and mentally. Two young women, Iya and Masha, search for meaning and hope in the struggle to rebuild their lives amongst the ruins.

Partos Alekseevich Paramonov (Paramosha) worked in the circus as a clown. His wife died and he began to drink too much. Paramoshi left a porcelain figurine on a golden pedestal from a past life. Once there was a phone call and a woman's voice, invited the old man to speak at the bottom of the city. Paramosha went to a stop and waited a long time for the coveted black Mercedes from the city hall, but the call was just an insidious ploy of friends who wanted to lure Paramosha out of the apartment and take possession of the figurine.

Alexey, still a young man, found himself in an extremely difficult situation. He must devote most of his time to his mother, who is almost completely paralyzed after a stroke. His situation is aggravated by the fact that his mother, once an actress in a small provincial theater, no longer sees the point of living.

After the funeral of his young wife Asi, David tries to cope with the loss. The condolences of his friends and the reproachful words of her relatives do not seem to make any impression on him. Suddenly Asya appears on the threshold of the apartment. Her appearances are repeated over and over again until the boundaries of reality and dream for David are finally blurred.