In the center of the film is a powerful, peculiar, talented Russian man, the largest timber merchant Yegor Bulychyov. He is experiencing a tragic discord with himself, with the world that surrounds him, with great social injustice, to which his whole life has been given. The idea of ​​the film is to determine the purpose and meaning of the existence of the human person, consider its polysyllabic and versatile connections with the world.

Young musician Zhenya Kovalchuk falls in love with aerobatic pilot Yulia. The feeling is mutual, but Yulia cannot bring herself to reveal her feelings to Zhenya. Then the famous, but not yet elderly, Doctor of Science Kressovsky, who also hopes for Yulia's affection, stands in his way. The two suitors clash with their swords, and the duel ends with the doctor being wounded. The doctor intrigues, and Zhenya faces expulsion from the institute.

A movie almanac based on the stories of Vasily Aksenov: "Dad, fold it!", "Breakfasts of the forty-third year", "Halfway to the Moon".