The film tells about the intelligentsia, the
Russian Revolution and the life of the family of Turbin officers during the
Russian Civil War. In
Kiev, during the winter of 1918-1919, power in the city passes successively from the
Hetman to the
Directorate of Ukraine to
Petliura and to the
Bolsheviks. The Turbins and their acquaintances must make their choice. Colonel Alexei Turbin and his brother Nicholas remain loyal to the
White movement, bravely defend it, and do not worry about their lives. Elena's (née Turbin) husband, Vladimir Talberg, flees shamefully from the city with the retreating
German troops. Despite the troubled times, the family and its close friends gather and celebrate
New Year's Day. A strange and slightly ridiculous person comes to visit them and is a distant relative of the Turbins, Larion Surzhansky (Lariosik). ==Cast==