The story of a young woman who, after her years at university in the city, returns to her hometown an engineer and begins work on a huge new power plant. She continues to supervise work on the plant throughout the war.

Provincial landowner Murzavetskaya, a hypocrite hiding under the mask of piety and virtue, wants to get her hands on the fortune of the rich widow Kupavina.

The action takes place in 1714 in the London royal palace of St. James. The Duchess of Marlborough, the favorite of the weak-willed queen, skillfully rules the state. Her political opponent, former minister Lord Bolingbroke, dreaming of restoring his influence at court, successfully wages a cunning war against the duchess, using the rivalry between the queen and the duchess of Marlborough, who are...

Mrs. Gurmyzhskaya, meets old age in his estate, in a remote province. Her estate comes nephew, half-educated pupil and mistress, boredom, decides to have an affair with him... Anyone willing to meet a rich aunt "reciprocity".