A summary of Emil Braginsky’s "The Room" Automatic translate

This lyrical comedy by a Soviet playwright, written in 1982, depicts a grown woman’s desperate attempt to conceal her profound loneliness behind a fictitious romantic story. The text is filled with gentle humor and melancholy, interspersed with everyday work in a landscaping office and songs from the 1930s, which the heroines sing in chorus to keep up their spirits. It’s an intimate story about the need for love, where harmless deception is used to protect personal dignity in the face of the collective.

Life in the office and an imaginary groom

The action begins in an ordinary government agency. The office space is enlivened by botany posters and magnificent fresh flowers in ceramic pots. Only women work here. Albina, Lyudmila, and Elena Alekseyevna have long been a close-knit group. They constantly interfere in each other’s affairs, sing in chorus, and escape the routine with a touch of irony. The fourth employee is a recent institute graduate named Liza. She adheres strictly to the facts, demands sincerity, and lacks a sense of humor. The department head is Tikhon Ivanovich Lokhov. The female employees love him for his gentleness. Lokhov himself secretly, but quite obviously, has a crush on the beautiful Lyudmila, bringing her home-cooked meals.

While Albina is on vacation at the Riga seaside, Lyudmila entertains her colleagues. She artistically imitates her friend’s mannerisms and ridicules her mythical lover, Kostya. According to the legend, Kostya works in a top-secret institute with no windows or doors, and therefore cannot come to Moscow. Soon, Albina herself appears in a ridiculous resort outfit: a wide-brimmed hat, tight trousers, and oversized dark glasses. From the very beginning, she boasts of Kostya’s generosity, her trips to Estonia, and the smoked herring she brought home. The outspoken Liza loses it. She accuses Albina of lying and declares that Kostya doesn’t exist. A hurt Albina promises to produce her lover alive.

Finding the Ideal Tenant

To save her reputation, Albina posts an ad for a room for rent to a single man. She won’t charge rent. The only requirement is that the tenant must answer to the name "Kostya." Albina lives with her aunt, Galina Stepanovna. Her aunt, who has a turbulent past, regularly reads the newspaper "Gudok," and is skeptical of all her niece’s initiatives.

The first to respond to the ad is 38-year-old Stanislav Dergachev, a boilermaker engineer in a formal French suit and old-fashioned galoshes. He ran away from his wife, who was too keen on target shooting. Kuzminykh, a self-assured young man, shows up next. In the midst of the viewing, Lyudmila accidentally walks into the apartment. Albina hides the candidates, but Lyudmila notices Dergachev’s galoshes. This circumstance forces Albina to choose the engineer.

Dergachev moves into Albina’s room. A few days later, the landlady begins testing him on his knowledge of Riga’s streets and seaside stations. Dergachev refuses to go to the office, afraid of failure. Albina gets angry and starts throwing his things into a suitcase. The engineer gives in, tells the sad story of his marriage to the owner of a Ural-2 rifle, and agrees to the adventure.

In the back room, Lyudmila tells Lokhov about a new suitor who collects silver and proposes marriage. Lokhov is distressed, because he’s married and can’t leave his aging wife. Dergachev appears in the middle of the lunch break. Albina introduces him to Kostya. The man is brazen, joking, and confidently parries his colleagues’ attacks. Lisa demands to see her passport. Dergachev refuses. Instead, he approaches Lisa, hugs her tightly, and says, "You, checkered one, are round, smooth, and lovely." Stunned, she receives a fake travel document from him. The document is made out to Konstantin Dmitrievich. Lisa runs out of the room in hysterics. Albina and her friends rejoice.

Love triangle and revelation

Saturday morning in Albina’s apartment is idyllic. Dergachev playfully plays waiter, serving breakfast in bed. Albina enthusiastically tells him about her work. She introduces wildflower plantings at Moscow train stations. Suddenly, Tonya, Dergachev’s legal wife, bursts into the apartment. Dressed in jeans, she holds a rifle in a case in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. Tonya demands that her husband pay the phone bills and the rent. At gunpoint, she takes the folding table and books by Fet and Bulgakov. Albina fiercely defends Dergachev. A genuine attraction develops between her and the lodger.

Dergachev begins secretly calling Liza. He arranges meetings with her at a dairy cafe. The man confesses that she struck him with her sincerity while she was eating a pear. Liza is outraged by his behavior and feels sorry for Albina. To quell the accusations, Dergachev hands Liza his real passport. She sees the name Stanislav. The realization of his total deception disconcerts her. She realizes that the engineer has publicly humiliated himself to save the honor of another woman. This self-sacrifice captivates Liza.

Meanwhile, Albina decides to help Dergachev buy a car. She concocts a story about Aunt Galina Stepanovna joining the lineup for a car. Albina borrows money from Lyudmila and Elena Alekseyevna. At home, she ceremoniously hands Dergachev a wad of bills — 1,300 rubles. Galina Stepanovna adds one ruble and strongly recommends getting a notarized receipt. Dergachev takes the money and disappears.

Liza and Dergachev are on another date at the dairy cafe. Liza complains about the tasteless omelet and is forced to eat sour milk. Dergachev discusses the benefits of selfishness versus false altruism. He picks Liza up. Galina Stepanovna, passing by, watches this scene.

Three days pass. The back office is bustling with activity. Elena Alekseyevna joyfully announces her son’s upcoming marriage to a pregnant woman. Lokhov appears in a smart suit. His superiors send him to a prestigious sanatorium, hinting at a quick promotion. Lokhov offers to appoint Albina to his position. Lyudmila refuses to go to Leningrad with the silver collector, choosing to remain with her beloved Lokhov.

Dergachev arrives at the office. Albina stops working and asks her colleagues for their attention. She decides to make a public confession. Albina reveals that Kostya was a front man for the ad. She confesses that she fell in love with the engineer, but he left her for another woman. Liza proudly announces that Dergachev is moving in with her. Galina Stepanovna brings the engineer’s forgotten galoshes. The friends sing a polar explorer’s song in unison to ceremoniously expel their ex-Kostya from their group. Dergachev and Liza leave.

Albina returns the money they’ve collected to her friends, explaining that she’s changed her mind about buying a car. Left high and dry, she doesn’t want to lose face. She declares that the real Kostya still lives in Riga and is waiting for her arrival. The friends eagerly accept this game. The women join forces and sing a lunar rhapsody, confirming that their friendship can protect them from any harsh reality.