After journeying to Russia from Wiesbaden in search of his son Alexander Vassiliev, who is to perform in an annual national talent competition, Apollo discovers that there are twenty-eight different contestants by that name. Just when he has lost hope of ever finding the right one, he meets the beautiful, troubled daughter of the competition's director. The romantic game of lost and found that ensues combines a musical sendup with elements of the documentary to create a portrait of an off-kilter world in which everyone has a shot at winning big.