Anatoly Yefremovich Novoseltsev is a kindhearted, slightly clumsy single father of two who works at a Moscow statistical bureau in 1976. The team is led by the diligent and stern Ludmila Prokofievna Kalugina, a woman in her late 30s whose subordinates jokingly call her наша мымра—the “our frump.” Novoseltsev dreams of a promotion and a raise, but his shyness keeps him from voicing his ambitions. He sponsors his efforts with the encouragement of his close circle, especially Olga Ryzhova, a married former classmate whose husband is recuperating far from Moscow and whose teenage son is an athlete. Olga’s warmth and steady presence become a quiet counterpoint to Kalugina’s demanding, precision-driven world.
A pivotal moment arrives when a former classmate and friend, Yuri Grigoryevich Samokhvalov, recently back in Moscow from Switzerland, suggests nominating Novoseltsev for a leadership position in the light industry department. The idea is rejected, and in a moment of nerves and bravado, Novoseltsev attends a party at Samokhvalov’s apartment to try to charm Kalugina. But his attempts land with a thud, and in a drunken outburst he bluntly brands Kalugina as “dry, inhuman and heartless,” a line he immediately regrets.
The next morning, Novoseltsev seeks out Kalugina to apologize. Instead of anger, she is moved to tears by the sincere conversation that follows. The two begin to open up to one another, and Kalugina gradually lets down her armor. She starts paying more attention to her appearance, and her colleagues notice a shift in her demeanor. What begins as a wary, professional distance slowly tilts toward something warmer and more personal.
Their evolving relationship provides the film with a steady stream of comic exchanges—between a boss who becomes more human and a subordinate who finally lets himself be seen. At the same time, a complicated romantic thread unfolds between Olga Ryzhova and Yuri Samokhvalov. Olga’s feelings are rekindled by Samokhvalov’s arrival, but he treats her as a longtime friend and colleague. Olga begins writing him love letters, which she entrusts to Vera “Verochka,” the sharp and efficient secretary of the Frump, who has a knack for gathering information and sharing gossip. Verochka reads the letters and, predictably, disperses them through the office, setting off a chain of reactions that lands in the hands of Shura, the bureau’s union activist and busybody.
When Samokhvalov asks Shura to “sort out the problem,” Kalugina confiscates the letters as a way to address the situation privately. Her firm reprimand of Samokhvalov’s tactlessness complicates his relationship with Olga, who feels betrayed and humiliated. Olga, now hurt, returns to her routine, while Novoseltsev, angered by Samokhvalov’s handling of the situation, confronts both him and Shura.
The confrontation with Samokhvalov reaches its peak when Kalugina, after learning more about the dynamic between the two, is stunned by the underlying motives behind the promotion and the messy social fallout. She decides to appoint Novoseltsev as head of the light industry department—an offer he initially seems to welcome but ultimately rejects, choosing instead to resign. Kalugina refuses to let him go easily and denies his resignation, sparking a heated exchange that erupts into a literal, chaotic chase through the office.
In a dramatic turn, the two end up on the back seat of Kalugina’s official car, where, after a tense moment of confrontation, they comfort and embrace one another. The film closes with a hopeful, if humorous, implication about the future: a subtitle hints that nine months later there will be three new boys in Novoseltsev’s family, signaling a fresh chapter for the couple.
The story weaves between workplace rituals, late-night confidences, and the unpredictable currents of shared desire, balancing wit and warmth with moments of vulnerability. It paints a portrait of two flawed yet endearing people who grow into a partnership shaped by mutual respect, humor, and a willingness to see past the roles they’ve been assigned.
