A summary of Emil Braginsky’s "Moscow Holidays"

Emil Braginsky’s prose comedy was published in 1998. The book is based on a well-known film script. The text contains a humorous meta-irony. One of the characters compliments the main character’s smile and compares her appearance to that of actress Irina Selezneva. In fact, the actress actually played this role on screen.

The work was successfully adapted into a film before the book’s publication. In 1995, director Alla Surikova made a film of the same name.

Luciana’s arrival in Moscow

Wealthy Italian Luciana Farini arrives at Sheremetyevo-2 Airport. Born in Venice, she later married a successful Roman lawyer, Gian Franco. She has arrived to bury her dead dog next to the grave of her émigré mother-in-law. The deceased pet had won six gold medals. At customs, Luciana is shocked. Instead of a dead, purebred dog, she is given a cage containing a live, shaggy, mongrel. Customs officials refuse to resolve the issue. An outraged Luciana takes the dog and leaves the terminal.

In the parking lot, she haggles with a driver named Grisha. He drives a strange, homemade car without a roof. She negotiates a ride to the Sovetskaya Hotel. At the hotel, the receptionist refuses to check in a foreign woman with a pet without a veterinary certificate. An angry Luchana goes to the Alitalia airline agency. She wants to return home immediately. There are no tickets for the next four days.

Temporary housing and lost suitcase

Grisha offers the Italian woman a room in his communal apartment for a fee. Upon arrival, Luchana sees peeling stairs, an insolent neighbor named Dusya, and a naked man in the hallway. She flies into a rage. The woman calls Grisha a liar and runs off with the dog. In the confusion, she forgets her expensive leather suitcase.

Alone on unfamiliar streets, Luciana treats two local intellectual drunks to vodka. Later, she buys hamburgers, lies down on a hard bench in a park, and falls asleep. A policeman wakes her. She suddenly realizes she left her things with the driver, but can’t remember the exact address.

Police misadventures

Luchana arrives at the nearest police station and insistently demands to find Grisha. The major tries in vain to shake off the insolent woman, who sits right on his work documents. Soon, a traffic police inspector brings in Grisha, who has been arrested. The driver was stopped on the major’s notice. Grisha returns the suitcase. The major, out of spite, decides to arrest Grisha for theft. Luchana fights for the driver. She screams, makes a mess of the office, throws papers off the desk, and asks to be put in a cell with Grisha.

The warden places them in adjacent cells. Luchana shares a cell with two prostitutes, one of whom understands Italian. Grisha and Luchana converse through a thin wall. The driver names the dog Surprise. That night, after a call from his wife, who fears an international scandal, the major releases the detainees.

Return to the communal apartment

Sergeant Komarov leads the heroes outside. They drive back to the communal apartment. Luchana wants to take a bath, but Grisha heats up water in a saucepan and offers to wash with an enamel ladle. While bathing, the driver accidentally sees the Italian woman naked and is transfixed with admiration. That night, Luchana sleeps in bed. Grisha goes to sleep in his car.

In the morning, they go for coffee at Grisha’s ex-wife, Lena. Lena shares intimate details with Luchana. It turns out Grisha is a PhD candidate in physics. Before romantic dates, he always sings to the guitar. Luchana feels a little jealous. Outside, Surprise disappears briefly. Luchana panics, but the dog returns. After visiting Lena, Grisha leaves for work at his institute.

A series of failures and a new rapprochement

Luchana wanders aimlessly through Moscow. She buys a hot dog for her dog, then discovers her purse is missing. Her money, passport, and plane ticket are also missing. In a scuffle with a street vendor, Luchana loses an expensive hat. To survive, she sells her fashionable vest at a flea market. With the proceeds, she buys an orange road worker’s jacket. The Italian woman goes to the embassy, but the embassy official refuses to let her in without documents.

In despair, Luchana returns to a police major she knows. She forces him to order a sergeant to take her to Grisha’s address. At home, she plays cards with her neighbor, Dusya, and loses her pants. Grisha, returning from work, chases the neighbor away and returns the clothes.

That evening, a man and a woman sit down at the table. Grisha treats Luciana to some "Spotykach" vodka. They drink from the "business" and "heartfelt" hands. The intoxicated Italian woman dances comically on one leg. Grisha jumps off the windowsill to kiss her. However, after a long kiss, Grisha pulls away. He dismisses the whole affair as a casual fling. Insulted, Luciana runs out into the courtyard. She falls asleep in his open car, wrapped in a plaid blanket.

Love and Poverty

Early in the morning, the neighbors mistake the sleeping Luchana for a car thief. The police arrive. Grisha runs out into the yard barefoot and wearing only his underwear. The policeman takes them to the unfortunate major. The chief recognizes the Italian woman and immediately throws everyone out. Grisha and Luchana walk home. They cover themselves with a blanket and kiss nonstop.

At home, Grisha picks up his guitar and sings a song by Andrey Makarevich. Luchana realizes she’s fallen in love. That evening, they go for a walk in the rain. Grisha and Luchana decide to earn money by singing. They perform a song about migratory birds. The musicians collect enough money in a tin lid to buy half a loaf of black bread. The Italian woman vows to take this bread to Rome.

Government reception

On television, Luciana sees her Roman friend, the Italian minister Maurizio Cappattini. In the morning, she rushes to his embassy for help. Grisha perceives her departure as a betrayal. The minister promises to issue a passport. He forces Luciana to accompany him on an official excursion to Sergiev Posad. The Italian woman sends Grisha telegrams. The driver gets drunk with Dusya on Scotch whiskey.

That evening, Grisha dons a black dress suit with a State Prize laureate medal. He deceives security and enters the reception. The driver approaches Luciana as she dances and waltzes with her. Then, he publicly drapes the same orange street sweeper jacket over her shoulders and leaves. Distraught, Luciana drinks herself into oblivion. Maurizio drives her to the ambassador’s residence.

The finale

Early in the morning, the minister brings Luciana to Grisha’s yard. The Italian woman cries at the door of the communal apartment and begs Grisha to open the lock. The offended man remains silent. A surprise scratches at the door. A car honks. Luciana leaves for the airport.

Suddenly, Surprise pulls a forgotten handbag from under the sofa. Grisha opens it and sees a passport and ticket. He realizes his mistake: Luchana’s other bag was stolen. The driver grabs a pair of size 10 shoes from the sleeping Dusya. He dresses in a woman’s dress, wraps a scarf around his head, and places Surprise in the duffel bag.

Breaking every rule imaginable, Grisha rushes to Sheremetyevo-2. He bribes a traffic police inspector. He manages to pass through passport control with one minute left before check-in closes. The border guard doesn’t notice the trick.

On the plane, Luchana throws a massive tantrum. She demands the emergency door be opened and the plane brought to a halt. The crew and the minister try unsuccessfully to calm her down. Suddenly, she sees Grisha in the cabin, wrapped in a blanket. The Italian woman falls silent and smiles. The surprise figure emerges from her bag and jumps towards her. The plane flies to Rome.