Homeless, all thrown Mephistopheles is suffering from idleness and boredom. In a market where you can buy everything - from gralic to books on Russian history, he manages to find the soul of a ballet dancer.
In a world after the nuclear apocalypse a scholar helps a small group of children and adults survive, staying with them in the basement of the former museum of history. In his mind he writes letters to his son — though it is obvious that they will never be read.