Gaspard de Besse and his gang of highwaymen escaped the law for years in old monsieur de Morières's jurisdiction in rural, Ancient Régime France. When Gaspard is badly injured trough treason, he escapes after being seen in St.Anne's convent, where he hid, by de Morières's young, unwillingly arranged and unloving wife Anne. Gaspard makes a deal with the traitor to fake his demise. He recruits traveling actor Antoine and trains him like a son.

Nikolai (played by Sergei Dontsov) has been fired from his job as a music teacher and has to live in the gym until he finds a place to stay. Finally, he gets a communal room in the apartment of Gorokhov (Victor Mikhalkov). The room's previous inhabitant, an old lady, has died a year ago, and yet her cat, Maxi, is still in the locked room, healthy and fat. Soon, Nikolai and his neighbours discover the mystery: there is a window to Paris in the room. That's when the comedy begins - will the Russians be able to cope with the temptation to profit from the discovery?