Moscow Year New Year's Eve 1987. In the 25th hospital on duty are the obstetrician and the nurse. They make the rounds, after which sit down to celebrate the New Year. Suddenly, the hospital ambulance arrives with a pregnant woman - daughter of the general, who had an accident and she started the premature birth. Despite the exhortations of doctors that gestational age is a tragic turn for the child, a fierce general, threatening with a pistol, forcing him to take delivery. A child is born dead, and intimidated doctor decides to replace it for a living. On the same day another woman gave birth to twin-girls, one of which is changed. Ironically, the two girls called Masha.
The film is set in 1913 Russia during the celebrations of the Tricentennial Anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty. Rich Russian merchants are celebrating their wealth by gambling and playing poker. They are traveling aboard the luxurious cruise liner "St. Nikolai" on Volga river, oblivious to the fact that several gangs of crooks and con-artists are stealing their money in the game. Their target is the wealthiest Russian tycoon Satanovsky.
