"The Demon in the Ribs" by Georgy Vainer, summary Automatic translate

This story, published in 1988, tells the story of a lonely man’s encounter with a powerful system of nomenklatura connections. Academic precision in its depiction of legal and everyday realities is combined with profound psychological insight. The plot revolves around a street fight that suddenly becomes an indicator of the moral state of society. The protagonist, experiencing a difficult family drama, finds the courage to protect a casual acquaintance from prison.

The work gained wide recognition and was filmed in 1990 by director Boris Grigoriev.

Irina Polteva works in the newsroom of an evening city newspaper. She is thirty-three years old. She is raising two children, ten-year-old Seryozha and a younger daughter, Marina. Her husband, Viktor, a creator of television commercials, suddenly announces he is leaving the family. He justifies his actions by citing a profound creative crisis. Viktor liberally cites the works of American sociologist Gail Sheehy. He blames his wife for his professional failures, complains about his overwhelming daily life, and leaves for a wealthy mistress. Irina listens to her husband in a state of complete emotional numbness. Their familiar way of life is crumbling before their eyes.

That same evening, the phone rings in the apartment. A stranger introduces himself as Alexey Petrovich Larionov. He works as a first mate on a ro-ro vessel. Alexey has brought a box of southern fruits from Odessa from Ada, Irina’s cousin. The sailor insists on meeting. He shows up at the editorial office with a battered face. An unpleasant detail comes to light: the day before, Alexey had been involved in a violent street brawl. Three drunken thugs tried to throw him out of a taxi. One of the strangers spat in the sailor’s face. Alexey fought back. He threw one thug over his shoulder and into the huge display window of a radio store, smashing two color televisions. The taxi driver, afraid of the police, quickly drove away, carrying Ada’s package in the back seat.

Corporate solidarity

The police arrive and detain all those involved in the brawl. Alexey’s opponents turn out to be quite respectable figures: Vladimir Petrovich Chagin, director of a major stadium; Igor Shkurdyuk, head of amusement park attractions; and Grigory Nikolaevich Poruchikov, legal counsel for the architectural department. The trio lies together, claiming that the drunken sailor attacked them for no apparent reason. Law enforcement readily believes these respectable citizens.

Irina decides to intervene and help Alexey. She turns to an old friend. Criminal Investigation Officer Sashka Zhigunov explains the true balance of power to her. Chagin’s company relies on powerful connections. Chagin’s father-in-law, Ivan Konstantinovich Barabanov, runs a city landscaping trust. He distributes elite dacha plots. The police chiefs openly acquiesce to this group. The criminal case is transferred to the prosecutor’s office. Senior Investigator Nikolai Stepanovich Burmistrov bluntly informs Irina of his lack of confidence. He believes the testimony of the three respected victims. The investigators disregard the testimony of the visiting sailor.

Journalistic inquiry

The journalist seeks advice from the Old Man. This is Viktor’s stepfather, ninety-two-year-old Gerasim Nikolaevich, who has dedicated his entire life to working as a dentist. The Old Man convinces his daughter-in-law not to give up. Irina begins gathering facts on her own. To distract her from her sad thoughts, Alexey takes her to a performance by the hypnotist Faddeev. During an autogenic training session, Irina is unable to relax and quietly cries, reliving the pain of her husband’s betrayal. Alexey gently supports her. He admits that he first saw Irina two years ago at Ada’s dacha and has remembered her face ever since.

The next day, Irina visits Igor Shkurdyuk at the amusement park. The ride manager places the journalist in the Enterprise ride. The machine spins and rises vertically, terrifying the passenger half to death. After being tortured by the spinning machine, Shkurdyuk cynically admits his impunity. He openly mocks Irina’s attempts to uncover the truth.

The heroine then heads to Vladimir Chagin. The stadium director is sitting in a luxurious Finnish office, talking casually on the phone. Chagin threatens the journalist with major problems at work. He advises Irina to back off. In protest, the woman tears down his photograph from the poster displaying the best performers.

A meeting with lawyer Grigory Poruchikov also doesn’t bode well. Poruchikov smokes Marlboro cigarettes, stuffed into a cheap Jawa pack. The lawyer admits to his cowardice. He’s afraid of losing his official position because of his friends’ rowdy behavior. The lawyer will stubbornly support their false narrative. It’s easier for Poruchikov to send an innocent man to prison than to risk his personal comfort.

Meanwhile, Alexey grows close to Irina’s children. He takes instant color photos for them with his Polaroid camera. The sailor tells Seryozha and Marina stories about ocean typhoons and cooks a Languedoc-style roast. A warm feeling blossoms between the adults. Alexey openly declares his love for Irina.

Pressure and blackmail

Chagin’s threats don’t fall on deaf ears. The newspaper’s editor-in-chief summons Irina to the carpet. He accuses her of fabricating an interview with Kutsev, the director of the sports equipment factory. This is an obvious denunciation, but the director refuses to listen to excuses. Irina is harshly suspended from her position pending the completion of a departmental investigation. Her work pass is confiscated.

Her ex-husband suddenly shows up at home. Victor brings the guitar he promised Seryozha. The director insistently demands that he stop defending Alexei. In exchange, Chagin’s influential patrons promise to transfer Victor to the staff of the prestigious television company "Film." Victor declares, "I don’t want to be a martyr." He asks Irina to give up her struggle for the sake of his career triumph. The insulted woman throws the brand-new guitar out the open window. She drives Victor away forever.

Search for eyewitnesses

The journalist methodically searches for witnesses to the incident. She uncovers a piquant detail. Chagin’s mistress, the renowned swimmer Rita Tereshkina, was in the taxi at the time of the conflict. She confirms the stadium director’s vile nature. However, she flatly refuses to give an official statement. Rita is afraid of ruining her reputation with a high-profile scandal.

Flower seller Nadezhda Yelovatskaya, who witnessed the incident from a few meters away, also refuses to testify. Detective Zhigunov decides to help Irina. He uncovers the truth about the pensioner’s business. The woman illegally grows daffodils and tulips. Her city apartment has been converted into a giant greenhouse with powerful lamps. Fearing retribution for her illegal activities, Yelovatskaya personally writes a truthful statement about the start of the fight.

Irina finds out the address of the missing taxi driver. Yuri Nikiforovich Glukhomanov works hauling cabbage at the remote Prirechensk state farm. Irina drives a hundred kilometers on a broken concrete road. The driver fully confirms Alexey’s position. Glukhomanov describes in detail how Shkurdyuk spat on the sailor, and how Chagin hit him from behind with a broken bottle. The driver writes a detailed explanatory note. With this evidence, Irina rushes to the city prosecutor’s office.

Restoring the rule of law

Investigator Nikolai Burmistrov refuses to include the evidence he’s obtained in the case file. He’s irritated by the press’s persistence, becomes rude to a visitor, and demands she vacate the premises. Stepping out onto the avenue, Irina witnesses a horrific scene. Two plainclothes officers force Larionov into a police car. Burmistrov has changed the measure of restraint, sending the recalcitrant sailor to a pretrial detention center. Choking in the arms of his guards, Alexei screams, "I love you!"

Overcome with despair, the woman asks the Old Man for help. Together, they go to see the regional prosecutor, Boris Nikolaevich Kravchenko. During the Great Patriotic War, field surgeon Gerasim Nikolaevich saved the life of the wounded partisan Kravchenko. He amputated his mangled leg with an ordinary penknife in the unsanitary forest conditions.

The prosecutor receives the visitors with the utmost respect. He listens attentively to Irina and examines the testimony of taxi driver Glukhomanov and flower seller Yelovatskaya. Kravchenko promises to immediately request a criminal case. He intends to stop investigator Burmistrov’s arbitrary actions. The prosecutor guarantees Alexei’s immediate release from custody.

Returning to her courtyard after an exhausting run, Irina approaches the entrance. Alexey, his head shaved, sits on a wooden bench. He’s been released from his prison cell. The sailor greets his beloved with a smile. Irina, unable to hold back tears of joy, asks Alexey to call his sister Ada to say hello.