The dramatic fates of the Līdumu, Tauriņu, and Pacepļu families from the 1920s to the 1950s. The conflict between the Līdumu and Tauriņu dynasties as a class struggle, ending with the victory of the Līdumu family.

Young Leningraders, yesterday’s schoolchildren, are entering adulthood. Sonya is in love with Styopa, but he loves Tanya, and Tanya prefers Fedya. The rejected Styopa leaves for a distant Siberian city and starts working at the factory, studying at the evening institute. Sonya leaves after him and gets a job at the same factory. Tanya and Fedya, having married, go to college, and the young husband has to earn some money as a driver to support his family. The selfish nature of Tanya refuses to put up with the modest position in which the newlyweds are forced to be, and she starts an affair with an elderly composer...