The czar of Russia has died and a power vacuum has developed. This period in the late 16th and early 17th century has been called "The Time of Troubles." There are many impostors who claim to the right to rule, but there's only one heir, the Czarina Kseniya Godunova. She has married a Polish military leader who wants to claim the Russian throne in her name so he can rule all of Russia. As the Poles move in on Moscow in an attempt to install the czarina on the throne, Andrei, a serf with a life-long infatuation of the czarina attempts to save her from her brutal Polish husband.
A large family gather to celebrate a birthday. It would seem like a great reason to get together. But the family is just a project of one of the "brothers" — an experienced psychologist who is conducting an experiment to create a "happiness formula". He believes that manipulating others, their emotions and desires, will make them happy. However, love interferes with the mathematical calculations, which can neither be calculated nor predicted.
Hijinks ensue when an amateur filmmaker, financially reliant on video piracy, must reshoot all the movies from a film festival before time runs out.
