In Leningrad, Andrey Buzykin is a middle-aged translator and university lecturer torn between his wife, Nina, and his younger lover, Alla, who wants him to start a family with her. Nina silently endures Andrey’s infidelity as he tries to keep up appearances and provides increasingly implausible excuses. Andrey’s indecision and inability to refuse others also affect his professional life, where he gets roped into situations against his will. For instance, he unwillingly joins his Danish colleague, Professor Hansen, on morning runs and is exploited by his former classmate Varvara, who also interferes in his personal affairs. Andrey’s work suffers, leading to missed deadlines and a tarnished reputation. Alla grows frustrated with his hesitation and tries to end their affair.
As his marriage unravels, Andrey and Nina's daughter, Lena, leaves with her husband on a two-year work trip without consulting her parents, which comes as a great shock to Nina. In a moment of honesty, Andrey confesses his ended affair to Nina, who takes this for another lie and runs off, leaving home. Andrey, now determined to stand up for himself, confronts Varvara at work, denies a lazy student a pass, and bluntly refuses to shake hands with a colleague he dislikes.
Returning home to find Nina gone, Andrey feels a sense of relief, before Alla calls him and Nina unexpectedly returns, asking if he is truly done with his double life. In the final scene, Andrey runs through the darkening city streets alongside Hansen.
↑Richard Taylor, Nancy Wood, Julian Graffy, Dina Iordanova (2019). The BFI Companion to Eastern European and Russian Cinema. Bloomsbury. p.1933. ISBN978-1838718497.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
