Gena makes his way home alone, where along the way, the mischievous Old Lady Shapoklyak plays a prank on him by putting an “Out of Order” sign on both the elevator and his apartment door.
The friends then go shopping for school clothes, but they struggle to find any that fit Cheburashka's small size—or even Gena’s, for that matter.
Meanwhile, Shapoklyak decides she too wants to start anew and, after intimidating the shop clerk with her pet rat, Lariska, she quickly buys her own school uniform.
Shapoklyak steps in, offering her help, and sends Lariska to scare two workers who are lazily playing dominoes instead of fixing the school.
Learning of a shortage of teachers, Gena volunteers to teach natural science, while Shapoklyak offers to become the shop class instructor.