A dying man in his forties recalls his childhood, his mother, the war and personal moments that tell of and juxtapose pivotal moments in Soviet history with daily life.
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.
During the Gorbachev years, Platon Makovski and his four buddies are university students who jump on the private capitalism movement. Fast-forward 20 years, Platon finds himself the richest man in Russia, having sacrificed his friends to get to the top. But with this cynical rise, comes a brutal fall.
