Leningrad. Zoya and Ilyin are sitting in the room. Zoya is a saleswoman in a grocery store. Ilyin is on vacation in Leningrad, he lives somewhere in the North. Vacation ends - leave soon. He tells Zoe that in the next house, above the pharmacy, his first love lived, a beauty whom her friends called Star. He corresponded with her throughout the war, and then stopped writing. Ilyin wants to see what she is like now. He promises Zoe to return soon, quickly gathers and goes to find out - maybe she still lives there.
Tamara’s room. At first, she cannot remember Ilyin at all, only the passport presented by him explains everything. Tamara tells him that she works as a master at the “Red Triangle”, that her work is interesting, responsible, that she lives with her nephew Slava. But Lucy’s sister is not there - she died in a blockade. Glory studies in technology, where Ilyin studied before the war.
Ilyin says that he works as a chief engineer at a chemical plant in Podgorsk. This is one of the largest factories in the Union. And here - on a business trip. For three to four days. Tamara invites him to live these days with them on the condition that he will not lead anyone here. Ilyin agrees and leaves for a small room. Tamara goes to bed. The apartment includes Katya and Slava. Tamara makes a remark to them that it is already midnight, that young girls are not good at behaving in such a way that Katya distracts Slava from her studies. Katya in response says that Slava receives deuces not because of her, but because of Lidochka’s neighbor, with whom Slava had a falling out and which therefore does not give him her notes. Katya leaves. Tamara is trying to inform Glory, but he says that he is saturated with theory up to his neck. Ilyin enters and listens. This is unpleasant for glory, so he immediately agrees with Ilyin that it is time to sleep, and leaves for a small room with a folding bed. Ilyin tells Slava their story with Tamara and promises to lower seven skins from Slava if he offends Tamara with him. He says that he intends to provide this woman with a happy life even for those days that he will live here.
The second evening. Ilyin, Slava and Katya are festively cleaning the entire apartment by the arrival of Tamara. Tamara, who came, at first didn’t like that someone disposes in her house without her, but then she gladly invites everyone to the table - to have dinner. When Katya and Slava leave, Tamara sings a guitar song that he and Ilyin sang many years ago: “My dear ...” Suddenly she says that it would be terrible if she married someone. Ilyin asks to repeat, but Tamara does not answer. The light goes out in the room.
Third evening. Katya, who works on the switch, hears Ilyin tell Zoe that she will not be able to come. The action is transferred to Tamara's room. Ilyin is going to leave and calls Tamara to go with him, though not to Podgorsk, but to the North, where he is thinking of becoming a driver, having abandoned his engineering. Tamara does not understand why he should drop everything and go to the North, and refuses the invitation. Ilyin sends her to the store under the pretext of buying him food on the road, and he leaves without saying goodbye. Glory forbids Tamara to catch up with the departed Ilyin. He does not want Tamara to humiliate herself.
The fourth evening. Room Timofeev, a friend of Ilyin. Tamara is looking for Ilyin here. Hearing her voice, he asks Timofeev not to betray him and hides. Timofeev tells Tamara that he has not seen Ilyin for a long time. At this time, Timofeev was called from the chemical plant, from Podgorsk. Tamara learns that Ilyin told her a lie about his life, assigning a biography of Timofeev that he is actually a driver in the North. Timofeev considers Ilyin disorderly, but Tamara ardently defends him. She leaves her address for Ilyin and leaves. Timofeev advises Ilyin to catch up with Tamara and beg her for forgiveness. For Ilyin, this is out of the question. He's leaving.
The fifth evening. Katya tells the surviving Tamara about the existence of Zoe. Tamara decides to look for Ilyin there. However, Ilyin broke up with Zoe. Tamara does not catch him. Zoya is offensively talking to her, and Tamara leaves, having achieved nothing.
Katya is looking for Ilyin at the station. Ilyin wants to get drunk before leaving. Katya tries to stop him, then starts drinking with him. Katya tells him about Glory, Ilyin tells her about Tamar, about how she escorted him to the front, finally tells the whole truth about herself.
At this time, Tamara tells the Glory the same story about their farewell. Katya comes. She is drunk. Gives Slava a copybook, which she rewrote for him in one night. Tamara puts her on the bed. Timofeev comes. He is looking for Ilyin. It takes to fix the burned out reflector. Then Ilyin returns. He says that he is not a failure, that he is useful to society, that he is a free and happy person. Tamara tells him that she knows everything and that she is proud of him. Reminds Ilyin that he called her to the North with him. Now she agrees to go. Ilyin kisses her hands and promises that she will never regret it. Tamara, either rejoicing, or fearing for her happiness, aloud wishes that there is no war.
