Summary
In the volatile atmosphere of the Soviet Union's New Economic Policy (NEP) era, prosecutor Bersenev finds his professional integrity and personal life colliding in a devastating moral knot. While building a case against Polyansky, a flamboyant embezzler living the high life of a 'nepman,' Bersenev discovers a double betrayal: his wife, Vera, is Polyansky’s mistress and an accomplice to his financial crimes. The situation shifts from a domestic tragedy to a profound existential crisis when Bersenev realizes Polyansky is the same man who once risked his life to hide Bersenev from the Tsar’s secret police during the revolution. Forced to choose between the cold letter of the revolutionary law and the sacred debt of a life saved, Bersenev must decide if the 'circle' of his past and present can ever be broken. The film culminates in a courtroom battle that serves as a funeral for his marriage and a cold affirmation of his ideological commitment.
Synopsis
Set during the New Economic Policy (NEP) era 1921-1928, assistant prosecutor Bersenev is in charge of the case of a certain embezzler Polyansky. Soon it becomes known to Bersenev that his wife Vera, Polyansky's mistress, is also involved in the crime. During the investigation, Bersenev recognizes Polyansky as the owner of the apartment in which he himself was hiding from the Tzar's secret police agents during the years of the revolution. After painful hesitation, Bersenev takes the case to court and, taking the child, leaves his wife.
