Pursued by Medalionov and his accomplices, Ahov, Mahov, and Dasha—a fellow factory worker whom they frequently flirt with—set off with their machine on a makeshift raft to reach a district center.
However, Medalionov has already slandered them as crazed inventors, leading local authorities to detain the trio in a port warehouse, labeling them dangerous lunatics.
Finally, thanks to their alliance with the Komsomol, the friends achieve reasonable results in their inventive labor and pursuits when they reach the provincial capital, where their machine is at last recognized and appreciated.
From the book Memories and Reflections on Theater written by the film's director, Aleksei Popov: I was sick at the thought of making a comedy.
We wanted to produce a film about modern people, who are active and cheerful, and in the background capture the fading elements of Russian provincial life, both absurd and yet charming in their own way.
The newspaper Pravda then noted, "Until now, the hero of our comedies was an ill-fated figure, which being the center of comedic positions, was endowed primarily with negative traits.
And really, it was easy to notice in the main role of the film – small, nimble Akhov and tall, ungainly Makhov – the features of their cinematic inspirations, Ole and Axel.
Popov lovingly resurrected onscreen these quiet, lost places, fields of rye, flowing spring waters, and his scenic sketches of everyday episodes that were full of their own sharp and precise observations.