Pushkin and his wife, Irina, work on a farm in 1916 Russia. Pushkin has the soul of a poet, appreciating the weather, landscape, and hard work. Irina is enraptured by communist ideals, urging Pushkin to move to Moscow in 1918, after the Bolshevik Revolution. Irina is amazed by the city, while Pushkin is disgusted. They get jobs at a biscuit factory, where Irina becomes an engineer, while Pushkin is fired from a sweeping job. Pushkin waits in ration lines. Though he does not always get everything in a single day, Irina forgives him out of respect for the communist project.

Pushkin befriends people in the lines, talking with them about the weather, architecture, and their families. One day, Pushkin holds a woman’s place in line while she visits the pharmacy, but no one complains because Pushkin is a fun companion. Pushkin starts waiting on behalf of other people in various ration lines, and they give him portions of their rations in exchange. When young orphan boy, Petya, notices Pushkin’s arrangement, he asks Pushkin about his hustle. When a man asks Pushkin to wait in an electronics line, and Pushkin declines due to a conflict, Petya becomes his assistant. Petya starts waiting in lines on behalf of others, sharing half of his rewards with Pushkin.