Russian Empire, 1919. By a twist of fate, young idealist Osip Zadunaisky meets an infamous con artist and self-proclaimed Turkish subject Ibrahim Bender. A man of pure thought and aristocratic upbringing, Osip would never have associated with a cunning and unscrupulous swindler, but Bender comes up with an offer Osip cannot refuse. A precious royal relic, a diamond-encrusted golden scepter is hidden somewhere in town; Bender needs a partner on his mission to find it, and offers Osip a share of the profit from selling the treasure. And so begins their joint venture, wrought with comical and dangerous twists and turns, where they have to outsmart and outmaneuver officers of the White Guard as well as the local mafia, who also have their eyes on the scepter. As their quest unfolds, Osip is compelled to learn Bender’s tricks of the trade: charming flattery, delicate deception, soft intimidation... as well as brute force.

Bender. The Beginning

Managing position at Nastenka Cleaning Service, whose employees are migrant girls from Asia, comes at the Muscovite Kirillov out of the blue. The situation is complicated by the fact that Kirillov is planning to leave for Norway and expecting his bride, a typical European with a rather rigid interpretation of freedom and tolerance, to come visit. The idea that she will learn about the exploitation of "women of the East" terrifies him and makes him prevaricate in order to hide his "harem"...

The Norseman

The film is set in St. Petersburg during the White Nights. Of course, it is at this time that miracles begin to happen in the city.

O chyom molchat frantsuzy

Young Ostap and swindler Ibrahim Bender seek a golden rod concealed in one of three coffins, facing rivals. Ibrahim mentors Ostap in trickery. Ostap outshines his teacher, transforming into the famed Ostap Bender.