Spring of 1921. NEP (New Economic Policy) initiation rapidly changes Petrograd which was lifeless after wars and revolution. Marches and hymns are mixed with foxtrot and chanson. Well-dressed people appear on river quays, as well as thugs who are ready to rob them of money. So the chaos starts and it is invincible for police: shops are robed five times per day. Then the criminal world of Petrograd headed by Uncle Kolya comes to defend NEPmen and starts to run a protection racket on them. But not all the NEPmen are ready to pay for these services what makes Uncle Kolya to send his combat groups to these people. The most famous and productive of these groups is the Rodya’s gang. Rodya is former anarchist, sharp thug, fancy pants and ladykiller.

Moscow, 1902. The famous director Konstantin Stanislavsky, in search of inspiration for staging a new play, decides to get acquainted with the life of the city "bottom". He turns to Vladimir Gilyarovsky, a recognized expert on the Moscow slums, for help.

Simultaneously nihilistic and heartening, Ward No. 6 is based on a story by Chekov, in which a psychiatric doctor becomes a patient in his own asylum. Updated to contemporary Russia, the film is a cocktail of anxieties and riddles, showcasing how easy it is to become what we fear most.