This film is an adaptation of the play of the same name by Pierre Gladilin.
On New Year's Eve, in a cultured Moscow family, the atmosphere is clearly tense and the usual festive mood is not there. The young daughter of the family, Natasha, intelligent, an excellent student and a talented pianist, is expecting a child. She can no longer put off the announcement of this event to her parents, whose reaction she fears. Indeed, they are strict; they cannot stand the chosen one of her heart, they have many ambitious plans for their daughter. At this moment, granny Anya, from the old aristocracy, Anna Pavlovna Rostoptchina, arrives. She comes to the aid of her granddaughter, by recounting her tumultuous youth. Everyone is shocked by the story she experienced in her youth, of her bohemian life, of the "forbidden fruit" that she had managed to bite into. Under the clinking of the cups, Mamie and Natacha have crazy dreams that should nevertheless come true....