Babette, a peasant girl, ended up in the middle-class “institution” of Madame Wexler. She is forced to satisfy all the whims of her clients with special passion, since her young son lives with her. Little Vanya becomes seriously ill, and the doctor of the “institution” invites his pediatrician friend, Nikolai Kuzmich, to examine the child. Nikolai Kuzmich invites Babete to take the boy to his home to provide him with proper care. In the soul of the “lost” Babet, a feeling for the middle-aged doctor arises. It seems that the girl gets a chance to part with the hated “institution.”