"Don’t Leave" by Georgy Polonsky, summary Automatic translate

This 1984 fairytale play, based on William Thackeray’s novel, immerses the reader in the fictional kingdom of Abydonia, where lying has become the norm and a magical blue rose compels the characters to tell the truth. Comedic palace intrigues quickly and brutally escalate into a poignant social drama, forcing the characters to shed their masks before their very eyes.

The work gained immense popularity after the release of a two-part television film by Leonid Nechayev in 1989. The film achieved cult status, and the young actor Igor Krasavin, who played the mute poet, was included among the best actors of the Soviet screen.

Robbery in Kabany Log

Prince Penapyu of Penagonia is traveling with his secretary, Fricadell. The road runs through the beautiful Boar’s Lair forest. Suddenly, a gang of three bandits attacks the carriages. The criminals tie up the guards, steal the luggage, and steal the pride of the King of Penagonia — the magnificent black stallion, Milord. Suddenly, a herd of wild boars frightens the robbers. The bandits flee. Penapyu cuts the ropes of his companions, but they cowardly flee. Fleeing from the boars, the poor prince ends up hanging from a snag over a stream.

A traveling actor, Yellowplush, comes to the rescue. He and his wife, Martha, have just unearthed an old puppet theater in the forest, once hidden by his father. The actors load the prince into their wagon, pulled by their old mare, Clementine. Penapius persuades his new friends to drive straight to the capital of Abydonia, where he is headed on an official visit to Princess Albina.

Palace intrigues

In the royal library of Abydonia, Princess Albina asks the mute youth Patrick to find the Penagon Encyclopedia. Patrick, an orphan and ward of Queen Flora, is secretly in love with Albina. In the book, the princess sees a formal portrait of Penapia. The publication ascribes numerous non-existent talents to the guest. Albina is instantly captivated by her fiancé.

Meanwhile, the monarch, Cradus, a former cavalry colonel, is having breakfast with his wife, Flora, and sister-in-law, Ottilie. Cradus is entertaining himself with cruel jokes. The real power in the country lies with Ottilie’s husband, the cruel Chancellor Daville. The official suffers from a terrible allergic rhinitis and personally interrogates students who write seditious poetry.

The prince and the actors arrive in the capital. The townspeople shy away from them, intimidated by the harsh police regime. At the tavern, the owner offers to roast a black cat in place of the stolen fish, then turns the visitors over to the police for not having performance permits. The trio are led to the palace in handcuffs.

Recognition and secret order

The King receives the arrested men right in the billiard room. At first, he believes Penapia to be an impostor, as he bears no resemblance to his portrait in the book. But the guest laments the loss of his stolen black stallion, Milord. Cradus is overjoyed. He instantly recognizes the prince, summons Captain Udilak, and secretly instructs him to comb Boar’s Lair to retrieve the steed.

The king orders the guest washed and the actors thrown into the dungeon. In their chest, Cradus finds puppets mocking him and the Chancellor. This theater belonged to Jean-Jacques Freckles, the late King Henri II’s favorite jester. The monarch orders his maid, Marcella, to burn the dangerous puppets in the furnace.

Marcella carries the box upstairs, assisted by Patrick. Near the fire, they find the Poet’s doll, with strange verses written on its cloak. The lines proclaim that an invisible blue rose compels anyone who inhales its scent to speak the sincere truth. The girl hides the puppets in Patrick’s room. There, she also finds a withered gray bud and hopefully places it in water.

The Magic of the Blue Rose

The gala dinner begins. Penapio is constantly embarrassed. Cradus brazenly lies to his guest that he has sent the artists on tour. Albina demands that Penapio play a musical instrument, but he refuses. Little Nika, the daughter of one of the musicians, appears in the gallery. Ottilia coldly threatens to send the child to an orphanage. The shocked Prince Penapio begs for mercy. Patrick tosses a paper dove with a note to Albina, reproaching the princess for her heartlessness.

Udilak reports to Kradus about the successful interception of Milord. The joyful ruler promotes the captain to colonel. Meanwhile, a miracle occurs in the gallery: the gray dust in Marcella’s glass transforms into a living blue rose. Inhaling the wondrous aroma, Marcella boldly rebukes Princess Albina. Then the most incredible thing happens: Patrick regains his voice. He descends the stairs, clearly reciting the words of his poems.

Those present are frozen with shock. Patrick begins to sing a beautiful song. The Chancellor hears his voice through the chimney. Daville realizes: an unthinkable catastrophe is unfolding. Penapius rushes into the hall, having learned from the guards that Milord is hidden in the royal stables and the innocent puppeteers are imprisoned. The vile deception is exposed. Penapius leaves the feast in horror.

The collapse of lies

The king and queen, under the influence of the scent, reveal a terrible secret. Patrick is the rightful heir to the throne, the son of King Henri II and Queen Emma. 16 years ago, Cradus and the Chancellor hired bandits to slaughter the royal family at Boar’s Lair. Little Patrick was carried from the scene of the massacre by his faithful horse, but the horror of the experience left him speechless.

Having learned the shocking truth about her husband’s bloody hands, Queen Flora removes her diamond crown, leaves it on the floor, and leaves. An enraged Chancellor Daville appears. Colonel Oudilack, also under the rose’s influence, openly sabotages the ailing official’s orders. The soldiers refuse to arrest Oudilack. Taking Nika in his arms, the colonel leads the guards into the city to revel and open the prison cells.

The Chancellor’s bald footman falls to his knees and reveals a secret: his master ordered him to poison Patrick and Udilak. Udilak pours the poisoned wine on the spy’s bald head and leaves. A carnival begins on the streets of Abydonia. The freed Martha and Yellowplush perform puppet shows right in the tavern. The townspeople sing forbidden, seditious songs. The terrified city awakens from its lethargy.

Albina realizes how cruel her family was. She repents and searches for Patrick. Meanwhile, in the Oak Hall, the Chancellor demands an answer: why has everyone suddenly started telling the truth? Patrick and Marcella show him a blue rose. The maid descends the stairs, clutching the flower to her chest, and recites poetry about its wonderful scent.

Daville realizes the inevitable demise of his dictatorship. He draws a silver pistol and fires. The bullet passes through Marcella’s chest. She falls to the steps, but with her last strength, she manages to say, "And the rose is intact… the bullet passed to the left…" The Chancellor sees complete defeat: people no longer fear his tyranny, and the magic of truth is immortal. Covering his face with a handkerchief, he puts the bullet in his mouth.

A broken Cradus wraps his brother-in-law’s body in a carpet and drags him out of the hall. Ottilie leaves with him. Albina, Marta, and a sobbing Penapio gather around the dying Marcella. The girl asks Patrick to sing. The formerly mute poet picks up his guitar and sings a quiet song about the intercessor, Nadezhda. At dawn, the Poet’s doll flies over the liberated capital, carried into the sky by a cluster of balloons.