In the ninth grade, a new one appeared. The closed guy subjugated himself to a single purpose - to decipher the mysterious letters of the disappeared Toltec tribe. Without devoting anyone except a teacher from his former school to his research, the hero dooms himself to a misunderstanding of those around him ...
Ivan Sergeevich Kashkin — the bath attendant of the most prestigious metropolitan bath. It’s not easy to get to him: reputable diplomats, well-known footballers, and the heads of the ministry are seeking the honor to steam. But Kashkin himself does not need to achieve anything, everything is at his service — from black caviar to tickets to the conservatory. And the hero’s cloudless life would have flowed, but then his twin brother Sergei fell ill and asked Ivan to replace him in his equally strange work.
The professor's widow Vivi Cassel has three daughters: pretty Irma and Paula and unattractive, but smart, sharp-tongued Elsa, who is humiliated by the condescending attitude of her sisters and mother. She decides to prove that being a woman is much easier than being a person. After visiting a beauty salon, she makes not only her sisters' suitors fall in love with her, but also the mother's fiancé.
The story is about how Ivar Kareno tries to publish his philosophical work, refusing to remove radical passages at the professor's request, and fails, being left without a publication, a doctorate, money and a wife.
