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Young biochemist Lavrik is developing a cure for fear but is himself anxious about his work, personal life, and an impending promotion to lead his university's institute, which could jeopardize his research.

Viktoriya Nikitina works as a maid in a provincial hotel and dreams of leaving her hometown in the hope of escaping the persecution of her tyrant ex-husband. To earn money to move to the capital, she agrees to the role of a fictitious "bride" of Kirill Mikhailov, the son of the owner of a large local plant.

A Russian man is sent from Moscow to take over the post of director of a music school in a Yakut city. He strives to establish his own order and soon finds himself in a confrontation with Marta Grigorevna, the director of a children's choir. Perestroika is underway, which forces the Sakha people to reassemble their understanding of their identity. The clash of two cultures leads to a mystical rapprochement between the director and his recent rival. Now she must choose between the sacredness of the dark past and love, which has heralded hope for a bright future.

The almanac consists of eight short stories of different genres - drama, comedy, melodrama and adventure. They talk about how the lives of the main characters have changed over 20 years, how the country has changed along with them, and how they are trying to find something in common with children who are now at the same age of searching that they themselves were in the 1990s. The heroes of the stories are students who studied at the same institute in the 90s and lived together in a dormitory. Then many moved away, their paths diverged and their lives turned out differently, but they did not lose touch and still communicate, help each other and share common problems. Classmates meet after 20 years at the anniversary of their favorite teacher. But how much will happen before this meeting.

A sweet and modest English teacher, Elena, lives in a marriage with Viktor, who is sometimes aggressive and treats his wife with disdain, as if she were just a convenient thing. While Viktor makes do with odd jobs and poaching, Elena carries the family on herself. All she dreams of is having a child, but Viktor wants to live for himself. Indian businessman Raj Mishra comes to the city to begin construction of a pharmaceutical cluster. He chose this place for a reason - his Russian grandmother was born here, for whom he wants to buy the house where she grew up. Elena, at the request of her friend, acts as a translator for the businessman, and soon helps him find the family home. They fall in love, but challenges stand in their way in the form of Viktor, the disappearance of Raj's grandmother and his arrest.