The regional center is not the center of paradise, but a small settlement, lost in the Orenburg steppes. the bus station, where regular buses arrive from all over the area, is a place of meeting and parting. This is where Radik, the protagonist of the story, comes to meet his older sister Rita, who is to take custody of him and his brothers and sisters. A large amount of money falls into the hands of the boy, which he wants to appropriate. But money is always a temptation. And temptation is where the main plot of humanity began.
Antonina, an artist from Saint Petersburg, follows her husband, a political prisoner, to the deep north province of Russia. As she starts teaching art in a local school, she finds herself opposed by a twelve-year-old boy, Misha, whose brother is a feared local gang leader.
The story of Tanya, who is suddenly hit by a feeling that her existence is hopelessly devoid of meaning, is set in St. Petersburg. The city landscape provides the backdrop for Tanya's ups and downs as she takes drastic action, gets into scrapes and grows up as a result of the trials - both deliberate and accidental - that she faces.
The story of the young engineer Anton, constantly running around in search of work and the opportunity to prove himself. His life becomes like a carousel of monotonous fruitless attempts, but one day fate throws him an excellent proposal - a serious company, a big project, a life abroad. This proposal puts the hero in front of the choice between the future and the one most desired for him, the last, but the most expensive, that remains in his present life.
