Sergei Aleksandrov

While returning to Leningrad from a visit to his brother, Professor Artyom's car breaks down and he finds assistance at an isolated farmhouse occupied by Alexey, his wife, a Vietnamese laborer, and a stranger who wanders around the farm. When his car is repaired, Artyom leaves, drunk on moonshine, and students Valera and Angelika arrive. After Valera gets drunk, the stranger abducts Angelika.

Based on the novel The Gambler by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky.

The court jester Ivan Balakirev is not afraid to speak out to the fearsome monarch about things that others remain silent about. Becoming involved in the festivities and jests encouraged by the ruler, he inadvertently gets entangled in court intrigues and the complex relationships within the family of Peter the Great.

Pyotr's jester Ivan Balakirev is caught up in complicated family relations of Russian emperor and palace intrigues of his court.