Vladimir is a "little man" crushed by the ruthless force of existence. All his life he has been struggling with himself and the reality around him. Poverty, his own suffering, and the suffering of his loved ones have always put and will always put him before a choice: does he have the right to transgress any moral law in order to then become the savior of the humiliated and the comforter of the weak. Should he first love himself, and only then, having become strong, should he love the world as well?