Nadezhda Lagutenko

On the eve of his fortieth anniversary Sergei Makarov looks back at his life and learns that he has achieved nothing. He was not able to be happy and to bring happiness to the closest people in his life, neither to his long-suffering wife nor young mistress nor friends nor work... It is about the men who never grew up and could not find themselves in the time of stagnation – gifted, charming, but infantile and lost, they never were able to realize themselves...

American Jay Benson has left behind the Vietnam War, in which he was an excellent sniper. After returning home and marrying the charming Lucy, the hero opens a shooting school. The only thing he needs for complete happiness is money. The first offer from a rich client promises good earnings - and Jay accepts it...

Maria is young and beautiful. Her life resembles a fairy tale, in which the wishes come true if by magic. She has a smart, loving husband. And all that can be bought for money. Maria wants a child but could not bear it. She lives, but does not feel life. She is very unhappy.

The assistant captain of a foreign merchant ship, Chief, contacts an international drug cartel. He agrees to transport a large shipment of drugs in unmarked containers. The markings will be added later, only at the shipper's request. Unexpectedly, the ship has to call at a Soviet port to refuel.

Klava, a lonely woman who is bored with her life, posts an advertisement seeking a male companion. Valentin, a retired circus performer, responds to her message and the two enter a dubious relationship.

The divorce proceedings of the aging Medvedev couple, handled by Tatyana Mikhailovna Somova, make her reflect on her own loneliness, her conflict with her grown-up children, and her separation from her husband.