A story about a young hooligan whose parents were away on a long voyage, and whose teacher wanted to summon them to school. In order not to disturb his grandmother, the boy decided to introduce fake parents.

The eternal “housing question” in Russia is taken on by Serafimov, a young and principled city council deputy, who is determined to help his constituents. In the end, he manages not only to secure a new building for the veterans of the brick factory—made from the very bricks they once produced—but also to have them all housed under one roof, so they wouldn’t feel the pain of separation after leaving their crowded communal apartments.