The film centers on , a young librarian whose idealistic views on love are repeatedly crushed by the harsh realities of Soviet life.
[Wide Shot] The two women stand over a table. Between them is a strange, spinning metal device (a gyroscope or a lens). Katya: "Science requires objectivity. You are contaminating the variable with your empathy." Tanya: (Leans in close to the device) "And you are sterilizing the human soul. Look at him." DAU. Katya Tanya
Their relationship is deemed "unacceptable for a Soviet woman" and is eventually crushed by the interference of the (state security) and the Institute's First Department. Patriarchal Pressure: The film centers on , a young librarian