The film is about the complicated and even paradoxical relationships in the world of academic music. The character of Aleksandr Maslaev represents the Maestro, a kind of modern Mozart, wallowing in corruption, plagiarism, and envy. Once a talented composer, he's totally lost his gift and cynically buys new music from young composers, then plays it under his own name. Yet, the Maestro does not close this chain, for everyone pays his debts...