In Petersburg during perestroika there are two people, Alya and Nika. She is a little funny Petersburg intellectual; he is a French architect. They cannot live without each other, but they cannot together, either in the ancient Lyon castle, or in her communal apartment inhabited by colorful neighbors. Next to Alya is her childhood friend - Mitya, whose love she does not notice. He uses Ali's ridiculous mistake and Niki's jealousy to separate them for years.
Em 15 de agosto de 1945, os japoneses ouvem pela primeira vez a voz do seu imperador, que exorta o seu exército e o seu povo a pôr fim às hostilidades. Isso permite aos norte-americanos desembarcar nas ilhas japonesas sem encontrar resistência.
