Four middle-aged women with different fates share a Moscow apartment cityscape, bound by a steady, unbreakable friendship. Anna, a PhD candidate and former head of a laboratory, now works at a car wash and endures constant insults from the owner. Lisa, Lyudmila Gurchenko an ex-trade-union worker, now toils at a market where the owner of a vegetable shop harshly accuses her of theft. A third woman, a former railway worker, sells pies in an underpass, while Lyuba, Liya Akhedzhakova — an intelligent, thoughtful person — sells newspapers to make ends meet. The four women are very different, yet they share one unwavering trait: they are loyal friends, always ready to help each other.
Lyuba’s life takes a sharp turn when she decides to liquidate her Kremlin-view apartment for 100 thousand dollars to move to a cheaper place on the outskirts. The deal is hijacked by a businessman named Khomenko, Nikolay Fomenko, who turns out to be a fraud. Left penniless and homeless, Lyuba turns to her friends, who rally to her aid with a resolve born of friendship and grit.
What follows is a meticulous, often comic, plan to punish the villain and disrupt his criminal enterprise. The women bond together to reclaim Lyuba’s home and expose Khomenko’s schemes, navigating a path that is at once resourceful and risky. Their campaign is bolstered by two unlikely allies: theater administrator Lazovsky, Roman Kartsev, and General Dubovitsky, Valentin Gaft, whose involvement adds weight and color to the unfolding drama. The trio’s involvement helps tilt the balance in the women’s favor, even as their methods brush against the edges of the law.
The struggle culminates in a courtroom confrontation where the truth about Khomenko comes to light. The verdict moment arrives with a judge who sees through the fraud, and Eldar Ryazanov presides over the case, granting acquittal to the four friends. Freed from immediate danger, they reclaim the apartment and, buoyed by their shared victory, decide to chart a new course together.
In the wake of these events, the group adopts a new identity—“Old Hags”—and turns their hard-won solidarity into a fresh, collective pursuit: concert activity. What began as a fight for a home and dignity transforms into a collective artistic venture, as the women channel their bravery, humor, and camaraderie into public performances. The film threads together humor, social observation, and the resilience of female friendship, creating a portrait of ordinary women who refuse to be sidelined by circumstance.
- The core figures are anchored by Lyuba Liya Akhedzhakova and Lisa Lyudmila Gurchenko, whose lives illuminate the everyday pressures on working-class women in Moscow.
- The antagonist, Khomenko, is portrayed by Nikolay Fomenko, whose fraud sets the plot in motion.
- The help they receive comes through Lazovsky, Roman Kartsev, and General Dubovitsky, Valentin Gaft, whose involvement lends heft to the group’s bold actions.
- The courtroom resolution unfolds under Eldar Ryazanov, whose timely intervention helps seal the acquittal and open a new chapter for these friends.
A deft blend of everyday realism and gentle humor, the narrative centers on loyalty, courage, and the idea that solidarity can transform hardship into opportunity.
