Drumroll

At the funeral, the specter of the deceased presents a large Stradivarius drum to the drummer in the ensemble. The gift is enigmatic and unsettling, changing the mood of the ceremony. The drummer senses an inexplicable bond forming with the instrument, foreshadowing trouble ahead.

Over time the drum begins to behave as an independent creature. The drummer cannot part with it, and nightly playing binds him to the instrument. The drum's grip pushes him to leave the hostel and set off on a journey.

The drummer travels across several borders of the newly formed post-Soviet states. After contact with customs officers, he is left with nothing but the drum. His belongings are stripped away, leaving the drum as his sole possession.

In the subway, crowds give money to beggars, and the drummer stands with the drum. Young people in athletic wear extort his money, triggering a shootout; the remaining cash is confiscated by a policeman. The scene shows the drummer's increasing vulnerability in urban life.

The drummer goes to a diner while penniless. A waitress covers the drum with a tablecloth, and food from other people's plates somehow gets served to him. The waitress's small gesture highlights the drum's odd influence on everyday life.

On the street, a pie draws a young woman who feeds the drummer. She then brings him home and places a mat next to the door for the drum, signaling a temporary sanctuary in an unfamiliar life.

The drummer tries to compose music the next day, but his mundane girlfriend, absorbed by daily life, installs a washing machine inside the drum. He escapes from her and seeks shelter in a vast dumping ground where the homeless live, living inside the drum.

Police raids periodically disrupt the dump, and a delegation of French homeless arrives with officials. The two groups exchange wisdom, sit at a festive table, and exchange gifts. The drummer plays his drum while his Black French colleague accompanies him; at parting, the French man invites him to visit.

Soon the drummer is issued a foreign passport and flies abroad. He returns with a large load of purchases, but is robbed at the airport. He ends up homeless again, sleeping on the street in winter.

In a fit of anger he breaks the drum into small pieces. The once guiding instrument is shattered, symbolizing the collapse of his mobility and identity.

The film ends with a mockumentary newsreel explaining how ancient people made the first drums from dinosaur skins. The drum's strange journey concludes with a retrospective on humanity's relationship with rhythm.