While returning to Leningrad from a visit to his brother, Professor Artyom's car breaks down and he finds assistance at an isolated farmhouse occupied by Alexey, his wife, a Vietnamese laborer, and a stranger who wanders around the farm. When his car is repaired, Artyom leaves, drunk on moonshine, and students Valera and Angelika arrive. After Valera gets drunk, the stranger abducts Angelika.
Olga, married to a reach American businessman, returns to Russia after six years.
In the center of the plot children's writer Valentin Shubin, accustomed to live in seclusion. His books about the elephant Mishka, written in his youth, enjoyed great success both at home and abroad. A series of random events causes a new surge of interest in the personality and creativity of the writer-introvert. Adults and young readers waiting for new books, but Shubin them does not want to write.
