1961: at the funeral of his screenwriter friend Kostya Parshin, cameraman Viktor Khrustalev meets his ex-wife and gets acquainted with young director Yegor Myachin at the wake.

Victor gives testimony in the case of the Parshin's death. Meanwhile, director Krivitsky, who is celebrating the birth of his daughter, falls from a camera stand and is injured.

Inga takes her frustrations out on her daughter after the trial shoot and leaves her lover. Yegor then invites her to try out for one of the roles in the film 'The Girl and the Brigadier'.

An artistic council decides the fate of 'The Girl and the Brigadier' at the studio. Everyone is sceptical about the young director, so Yegor takes a drink for courage and tries to protect the movie.

Yegor invites Mariana to a test shoot, but her appearance at the studio is a big surprise for Khrustalev. He quarrels with Myachin and asks Mariana to keep their relationship secret.

The crew goes on an expedition and the first day of shooting is very nervous; Mariana cannot cope with anxiety and disrupts the shooting. Meanwhile, an investigator arrives at the site...