Shortly after the beginning of World War 2 a young idealist doctor is employed in a psychiatric hospital, where his notions of proper care for the patients are challenged by staff and the German occupation.
The eponymous Zygfryd is a reclusive young circus acrobat. Professor Drawicz is overwhelmed by Zygfryd's circus act and tries to make the world of art accessible to him - with tragic consequences.
Akaky Akakyevich Bashmachkin, a titular counsellor at one of the St. Petersburg offices, has been harassed and ridiculed by everyone for 33 years. For this gentle-hearted failure in life, his only dream is to own a coat, because as the owner of "the most beautiful coat in the world," he can finally feel equal to other people.
