The dramatic chronicle of the Meshchersky family is a story about the post-revolutionary life of three representatives of the Russian intelligent family, the history of which reflected the fate of the whole generation. Life on the estate, holidays, youthful hobbies - and after the hell of a civil war, the bitterness of emigration. They held on and knew how to hide their confusion. But the pain destroyed the soul, manifesting itself in short novels that did not bring happiness and unfulfilled hopes ...

The director's story about his life in the Soviet Union before his departure to Israel in 1971. The movie interweaves chronicle-documentary footage and fragments of Mikhail Kalik's films.

1927. A retired Red Army commander Constantine Vorontsov is appointed a Criminal Investigation Department head in a principal city of province. An experienced repeater named Korney shows up in the city. Thanks to a successfully performed operation a place of a local thieves gathering place is now known. But Korney, foreboding of an ambush, changes the place at the last moment. Vorontsov doesnt have enough time to warn all his colleagues and heads for the thieves meeting by his own.

A former German officer is coming back to USSR in order to help to clear land mines he put during the war.

After Mick Nich, a 1930's Chicago gangster, sells out his own gang to the police, the Mafia hires the best hitman in town, Johnny Pollack, to follow him to Odessa, USSR. Upon arrival, Pollack loses his memory and goes on various adventures with a group of thick-headed Odessa locals who think he is a harmless butterfly collector.