Whether by chance, or following some plan, the main character of the novel suddenly finds hope of turning a monotonous and aimless life into something worthwhile. In search of an answer to a seemingly simple question: “What is happiness?” he receives invaluable help from his new friends - yesterday's graduates of the theater institute, and each of the numerous formulations they come up with sounds quite convincing. But life is a wave, and successes are followed by disappointments, which in turn suddenly open up opportunities for new adventures. One of them was an intriguing proposal to go out of town for a weekend and tell each other stories, which subsequently come to life in an amazing way and even put each of them before an important life choice. The events of the novel take place in an unnamed City, which is experiencing gray and gloomy times of dullness and spiritual hunger. All of them are united by Time - Philip Sandman's main rival in the struggle to find happiness.