Nikolai, a large landowner, a man of the world, makes his estate available to a few friends, organizing stays in his spacious manor. For the guests, including a politician and a general of the Russian army, time passes between gourmet meals, board games, and intense discussions on death, antichirst, progress or morality. While the different subjects are discussed, each one exposes his vision of the world, of history, of religion. The hours pass and the spirits warm up, the subjects become more and more serious, and the differences of cultures and points of view are becoming more and more evident.