Caucasus, City of Cherkessk. Soslanov Sasha or how friends are used to call him Sos is never dejected. Expelled from the University, nowhere to spend the night, a love of life Nina leaving the city - it's all rubbish. Sos is loyal to his fortune. One day, out of boredom, Sasha desperately gambles...
Pale, thin, cold-sweating Pik (Khugaev) teaches literature at the local university to students so indifferent they play cards and take phone calls while he lectures. "The hell with you,” he says, walking out mid-class. It’s unclear just why Pik seems so sickly, though by midpoint we realize...