Spring of 1914. The eve of the First World War. The Uhlan regiment, in which Lieutenant Alexander Grigoriev serves, stands in a small Russian town. Officers languish from boredom, spend time off duty in a shabby tavern. They drink, they play cards, and without that, a small salary. One day, the city pharmacist introduced the lieutenant to the local rich man of commerce, councilor Stakhovsky, whose niece Nina, at a chance meeting, captivated Grigoriev with her beauty.