During the good old days of the Russian aristocracy, that is to say, before the October Revolution, in the city of Moscow there was a fancy restaurant which catered to the appetites and egos of the rich. In one such establishment works a middle-aged waiter who is devoted to serving his bourgeoisie clients correctly. However, his life outside his job is very different: His son was killed during the Russian civil war and the waiter's wife died of grief as a result....

In a Kazakh village at the beginning of Soviet power, a wealthy kulak (landowner) voluntarily denounces his opposition to the new regime and hands over his large home to be a new school for the children of the villagers. But three people in the village have difficulty believing that their class enemy is now their friend.