Striped Trip

The scene opens in the Odessa circus lobby, where Shuleikin is greeted by the ship crew who jokingly nickname him a tamer. They gift him a statue of Hotei, sparking curiosity from a waitress who asks him to explain the nickname.

Shuleikin recalls July 1956, when he was a cook at a Soviet trade mission in a tropical port and longed to go home. Desperate, he pretends to be a wild animal trainer to accompany ten tigers and two lions aboard the Eugene Onegin headed for the Odessa Zoo.

A bonus chimpanzee is gifted to the crew, and it escapes its sack on the ship. The escaped chimpanzee triggers a chain of chaotic events that disrupts the voyage.

Suspicions fall on Marianne, the captain’s mischievous niece, as personal belongings go missing and soup is sabotaged with bolts and nuts. The crew's paranoia grows as the ruse unfolds.

Tensions rise as Captain tries to keep order while Marianne continues her pranks to draw attention from first mate Oleg Petrovich. The slippery dynamic tests the discipline of the ship.

Marianne escalates her antics with fake tiger footprints to lure Oleg’s notice, but her acts land her under arrest and assigned to kitchen duties. The crew debates the ship's stability as her punishment is handed down.

During a lively deck tap-dance, the chimpanzee accidentally frees the tigers and lions from their cages. The ship erupts into panic as the predators roam, and sailors arm themselves with whatever they can find.

An attempt to call for external help fails when a visiting animal trainer, Chokoladi, flees in fear upon realizing the animals are undomesticated. The crew and Shuleikin face worsening chaos.

With the chaos unveiled, Shuleikin is exposed as a fraud and hides in an empty cage to avoid being discovered. Marianne's previous tricks come under scrutiny as the truth emerges.

Marianne steels herself and steps in to calm the beasts, showcasing real skill; in the process she tragically falls overboard.

As Odessa approaches, Marianne and the tiger crew swim ashore, surprising local beachgoers. The incident marks a turning point as the crew regroups.

Marianne returns to the ship, rounds up the animals, and restores order just in time for the vessel's arrival in Odessa. The crew breathes a collective sigh of relief as the voyage nears its end.

Oleg Petrovich is reinstated as captain and leaves the ship, taking the mischievous chimpanzee dressed in a sailor's uniform. The ship finally reaches its home port.

Back at the circus, Shuleikin finishes his tale just as a tiger fight erupts in the arena. The waitress watches in astonishment as the show goes on.

Marianne, now a veterinarian and married to Oleg Petrovich, takes charge of an injured tiger and transports it through the city. Onlookers are left amazed by her competence and the strange voyage that brought them here.