The story revolves around two young schoolboy pioneers, Petya Vasechkin and Vasya Petrov, as they navigate their attempts at self-discovery and their shared affection for their friend, Masha Startseva.

A bizarre tale of a fictional experiment performed during the Stalin-controlled years in the USSR. The main character is changed from a woman into a man. This is part of a larger plan to change more women into men and have a stronger workforce.

In the first part, the students complain that classic works of literature have no bearing on modern life - and find themselves in a situation strangely resembling something they've read... It's Gogol's "Inspector General" - but set in a summer camp... In the second part, after reading Don Quixote, the ever-adventurous Vasechkin convinces more cautious Petrov that he has found a game that they could play for life. No sooner they go off than Vasechkin, on a bike, brandishing an umbrella, attacks a giant... That is, a windmill...