A down-on-his-luck, self-hating Jewish jazz musician, Lyosha (Piotr Mamonov), tries to skip out on his cab fare. But the gruff, conservative cab driver, Shlykov (Piotr Zaitchenko), tracks Lyosha down and manages to swipe his saxophone, holding it hostage until Lyosha can pay him back. At first, Shlykov thinks of selling the instrument, but changes his mind and makes Lyosha his servant as a way to recoup the money. The men argue constantly, but an unexpected camaraderie also develops.