One of the Leningrad vocational schools has been entrusted with an important state order for the manufacture of a batch of new machine tools. In the heat of enthusiasm, not all the guys soberly assess their capabilities. The girls' team, led by Marusya Rodnikova, suggests switching to high-speed cutting, and the boys' team suggests replacing student standards with work standards. Violation of work discipline leads Marusya to a breakdown of the machine.
Rodnikova takes this incident hard. She is convinced that her friend Pasha Sychev is right, who, without getting carried away by radical innovations in turning, has learned to save time on work operations. Her comrades help Rodnikova develop discipline and composure.