Tatyana is a forty-five year old teacher from Moscow who borrows a large sum of money to pay for her sick mother's operation. Sadly her mother dies, and Tatyana soon finds herself plunged into debt. Her financial situation spirals further out of control when she is ill advised by her friends to set up a cake stall at the local market, a venture, which, not surprisingly, fails. Tatyana is forced to sell her apartment and, after an argument with her niece with whom she has been staying, Tatyana is left with no job and nowhere to live.