Sudakov’s apartment in Moscow. Its owner - Stepan Alekseevich - serves somewhere in the field of work with foreigners. Father wants him to go to MGIMO. Daughter Iskra works in a newspaper in the letters department. She is twenty eight years old. She is married. Spark's husband George (Egor) Samsonovich Yesunin works with her father.
Prov comes home with girlfriend Zoe. Zoina's mother is a saleswoman in a stall, and her father is in prison. Prov introduces Zoe to his mother, Natalia Gavrilovna. She does not object to such a meeting of her son, she is more concerned about the state of Spark - she has depression after a recent operation, in addition, there are some problems with Yegor that she does not talk about. Spark takes to heart all the letters that come to the editor, trying to help everyone. Egor believes that one must be able to refuse.
Stepan Alekseevich returns home with an Italian and a translator. A foreigner really wants to look at the life of a "simple Soviet family." Such guests are commonplace among the Sudakovs. After dinner and exchanging souvenirs, the foreigner leaves. Sudakov tells the family the story of his colleague Khabalkin: his son committed suicide. In addition to mental trauma, this means for him the end of his career. Sudakov believes that now he will be appointed to the place of Khabalkin. Coming rise. You need to go to the funeral, but he has things to do, so it would be better to go there to his wife or son. Sudakov, to make his son-in-law pleasant, tells him that he could be assigned to Khabalkin's place. He believes that Yegor will go far, over the years he can replace Koromyslov himself. He recalls how quiet, timid and helpful Yegor was when Spark just brought him into the house.
Suddenly, Valentina Dmitrievna arrives. Sudakov hardly recalls that this is his school friend. She is not a Muscovite, she came for help, she has trouble: her youngest son, a fifth-year student at one of Tomsk institutes, traveled to Poland with a group of students. There he fell in love with a Polish girl, did not come to spend the night in a hotel. Naturally, everything became known at the institute, and now Dima is not allowed to defend his diploma. Valentina Dmitrievna, crying, begs Sudakov to help Dima, because after this incident he became isolated, walks gloomy, and she is afraid for him. Sudakov promises to help. Valentina Dmitrievna leaves, leaving a school photograph as a keepsake.
The spark comes out for a walk. Natalia Gavrilovna tells her husband that it seems to her that Yegor is going to leave their house - to leave Spark. Sudakov is sure that this is all nonsense. He goes to himself.
A very interesting girl comes. Ego Ariadne Koromyslova. She came to Yegor under the pretext of preparing a term paper. Natalya Gavrilovna leaves them alone. This is the same girl for whom Yegor is thinking of leaving his wife. Egor tells Ariadne about his past. From childhood, he strove to "climb up", "break into people." And here she is - Spark. Egor was always half-starved, almost impoverished, and suddenly there is an opportunity to enter such a family. And of course, he could not miss this opportunity. He will marry a Spark. Ariadne wants Yegor to directly tell his wife everything and go to her. Egor promises. Prov catches them for a kiss. Ariadne leaves. Prov gives Yegor a word not to tell anyone.
The spark comes back from the walk. Avoids husband. Egor thinks that Prov told her something. The spark goes to his father’s office, where he holds a collection of icons, kneels in front of the icons, whispers something. Egor notices this, goes after her father. Sudakov makes a scandal, yells at his daughter. He is afraid that someone will find out that his daughter is praying - then the end of his career. Trying to make her daughter spit on the icons. And then Natalya Gavrilovna does not stand it. She silences her husband, and Sudakov obeys. He knows that his wife is a strong woman, strong-willed (since the war she has a medal for courage and two military orders). Natalia Gavrilovna leads the Spark away. Prov kneels before the icons and asks for the death of Yegor.
May Day. Valentina Dmitrievna sent a congratulatory telegram. Dima is not allowed to protect. Prov rebukes his father that he did not help. Egor says that there was no need to violate discipline. The phone rings. Prov picks up the phone. This is Zoe. Prov is about to leave. Father asks who he is going to. Then Prov tells what Zoya is for the person from which family. Sudakov is furious. He forbids Provu to communicate with her, but he leaves. Natalia Gavrilovna protects them: she likes the girl. Reminds her husband of Kol Khabalkin. Zolotarev comes. This is a young man from Sudakov’s work. Zolotarev congratulates Yegor on his appointment to Khabalkin's place. Sudakov has a bad heart: he did not expect Yegor to beat him at work, and even quietly. He and his wife move to another room.
Doorbell. The spark opens and returns with Ariadne Koromyslova. Ariadne tells Iskra that Yegor no longer wants to live with them, but wants to marry her, that he never loved Iskra. The spark calmly listens to all this and warns Ariadne to beware of Egor: he will wean her from loving everything that she loves now, and if her father’s boss has a daughter, he will calmly exchange Ariadne for her, if it would be better for him careers. In parting, she warns Ariadne that they will not have children: Yegor recently persuaded her to a second abortion. Ariadne runs away, asking not to tell Yegor that she was here.
Sudakov enters. Natalia Gavrilovna tells him that they had a daughter, Koromyslova, whom Yegor proposed. For Sudakov, this is a huge shock. The spark is about to fly to Tomsk to help Valentina Dmitrievna. In the meantime, she wants to move to her parents' rooms, and hammer the entrance to half of Yegor.
The phone rings. Sudak is informed that Provo was taken to the police because he stole some kind of briefcase. Zoya, who came, says that her mother went to Prova to help out. Indeed, soon Vera Vasilyevna brings Prova. At the police station, she knows everyone, and he is released on her parole. Sudakov believes that Prov got into the police on purpose to annoy his father. Leaves. Prov says he did it so as not to finish, like Kolya Khabalkin. They studied together. That day, Kolya wanted to say something to Prov, but the conversation did not work out. Now Prov blames himself for it.
Prov, Zoya and Natalya Gavrilovna carry the things of Iskra to themselves. Egor comes. He wants to talk with Sudakov about his appointment, but no one wants to talk to him, they do not notice him. Sudakov and his wife are going to old acquaintances. At this time, two black men with a translator come to them. Noticing the black African masks that Sudakov hung instead of icons, the blacks begin to pray.
