The comedy is set in Moscow in the 1950s. Konstantin Romin comes to Moscow to study history and stays with his kind aunt, Alisa Vitalyevna, who lives there in a communal apartment. Soon, Kostik’s life becomes intertwined with that of the other residents. Among them are Margarita Pavlovna and her former husband, Lev Khobotov, a publisher of foreign poetry, as well as her new suitor, Savva Ignatyevich, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War and an engraver who became a teacher.
The main plot revolves around Lev Khobotov’s attempts to find happiness with his newfound love, Lyudochka, constantly thwarted by the domineering Margarita. Another resident is the musical comedian Arkady Velyurov, who is trying to revive his faltering career and escape the encroaching loneliness. He falls in love with a young promising swimmer, Svetlana, who rejects his advances because she prefers the freedom-loving Kostik. Kostik himself finds a new beloved, Rita, for whom he decides to abandon his usual way of life.
