Sergei Makarov's behavior is the focus of this seriocomedy about a man who is in no way aggressive or embittered although he may never find a place where he "belongs." Sergei has a wife and child and a mistress yet he is not completely happy with these relationships. He also works in an engineering complex and flirts with one of the women there – who like everyone else, treats him in a patronizing way. His behavior, to the adults around him, is rather childish – it is as though Sergei has not fully grown up, but people are not unsympathetic to him. Just as he takes flight in his dreams, he also "takes flight" in reality – unable to see from the perspective of others. When his mistress threatens to leave him, for example, he falls down with the heavy melon he is bringing to her and she rushes to see if he is okay – then he kisses her. After various escapades, one involving a police chase, Sergei celebrates his birthday party – a large outing in the countryside. The issue at stake is that he is now 40 years old and unlike most adults at that age, he seems unable to leave his childhood behind, and by the standards of his own society, should have already accomplished "something" in life. The film created a lot of discussion and a good response in the USSR when it was released in the early 1980s.