The author provides readers with a unique opportunity to see how the magic of theater is born. He himself felt this magic as a child. The first performance is singing a duet with his little brother, the first school performance... But Seryozha Metelkin, the hero of the story, finds himself behind the scenes of a real theater. So, gradually, the boy “gets sick” of the theater and understands that “art requires sacrifice,” but in return it brings true happiness. The story is written with gentle humor and captivating sincerity, in the best traditions of Russian literature for children.