The city philistine Domna Platonovna-a merchant of lace, and sometimes... and "live goods" - is engaged in pimping. Fate confronts her with a young intelligent woman-a noblewoman, a colonel, Lekanida Petrovna, whose difficult life trials led to a moral decline. Domna Platonovna tells her tragic story with imperturbable calmness, presenting her own unseemly actions that push the unfortunate woman as the greatest benefits rendered to her.

The film consists of three short stories: 'The Unhappy Matryonka', 'Brother Fedos' and 'Vanka-Cain'.

Match factory repairman Parfen Loktionov is offered to become a shift foreman. The new position, on the one hand, is associated with increased responsibility, and on the other, with less earnings (the salary is “ten” less). The mother-in-law and wife insist that Parfen, usually submissive to them, refuse the offer made to him. But this time he rebels against domestic tyranny...

Although he is only eighteen, twenty-year-old Nadia permits Sergei to move into her apartment and share her bed. However, his callowness swiftly bores her, and she is unable to hide her increasing disdain for him. Understandably, this is a matter of some distress for him. Her contempt is more difficult for him to bear than she suspects, and one day he is provoked to murder her.

The old choirmaster Vetlugin falls in love with the young Vera, the owner of a wonderful soprano. Having long dreamed of his choir performing Vivaldi's "Gloria", Vetlugin invites the girl to the leading part.

Autumn, 1968. Nadia, a young woman with strict views on life, a methodologist at the regional House of Culture, goes to the cinema with her friend Sasha. The premiere of the film "Three Poplars on Ivy" took place in their city. Suddenly it turns out that there are no tickets, and you can only buy one with your hands.

The film includes three short stories based on the stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko: "Crime and Punishment", "Fun Adventure", and "Wedding Event" about the negative phenomena of the provincial life of the young country of the Soviets: stupidity, drunkenness, money-grubbing, lack of spirituality.

A twelve years old girl Lena who has come to live with her grandfather in a small Russian town is being bullied by her classmates. She took the rap of being a class traitor because she was in love with the boy who had betrayed his classmates when they were bunking off and going to cinema instead of a literature lesson. The class is penalized for that, not being allowed to go to Moscow for fall holidays with the rest of the school. Lena is being ostracized, "boycotted" however not telling the truth, waiting that the boy himself would confess to be guilty.

Two students are late for the last commuter train and have to spend a night in a strange town. They rack their brains about where to find shelter and quite by chance they overhear a talk between father and son. The son is an adolescent who is head over heels in love with a girl several years his senior. He is living through the first drama of his life though his love is just puppy love. Then, being resourceful fellows, they think of a plan to pass one of them for the elder son of this family. The reason they give for his unexpected arrival is that he is a child of the father's long-forsaken love. They presume this cock-and-bull story will come off, and right they are!

A small child is trapped in a tug-of-war battle between his frivolous, but loving mother and an emotionally abusive neurotic grandmother, who wants to "shelter" her beloved grandson at all cost.