The Kuznetsov-Saiko family lives in the provincial town of Tetyushev: Olesya (21 years old, student of an art college), her mother Elena (45 years old, head of the supply department in a construction company) and grandmother Iraida Stepanovna (65 years old, performer of romances and folk songs in the local philharmonic society ).
Our heroines have a different character and outlook on life, but all of them, except for family ties, are united by the lack of personal female happiness. The husband of Iraida Stepanovna died long ago. Elena's husband, Olesya's father, left the family ten years ago, and Elena never married again. Only Olesya has a young man - Nikita, but Olesya hides his existence.
It is Nikita who becomes the reason that the established way of life in the Kuznetsov family is collapsing. Olesya brings Nikita home and announces to her mother and grandmother that they will live together. Elena is horrified. She does not like Nikita, and she begins to drive him out of the apartment.