"Quiet Pools" by Emil Braginsky and Eldar Ryazanov, summary Automatic translate

The text was written in 1998. The work was born from the reunion of the famous creative duo after an eight-year hiatus to work on a comedy about love. This book is the story of a successful doctor who leaves his established life behind to find himself. The plot was successfully adapted for the screen by Eldar Ryazanov. In 2000, a film of the same name was released, starring Alexander Abdulov. The film won the prestigious Golden Vine Grand Prix at the Kinoshock Film Festival.

Escape from the usual life

The action begins in Moscow at the end of summer. A distinguished surgeon and clinic director, Anton Mikhailovich Kashtanov, returns home in the early morning. He’s slightly drunk, having been celebrating a unique operation by his deputy, Ivan Pavlovich Minaev. His domineering wife, Polina Sergeyevna, greets him at home. She creates a scene over his delay and drives away her husband’s friends. Kashtanov, exhausted by his family’s dictatorship and administrative routine, decides to flee. He leaves his wife a voucher for the Volzhsky Utes sanatorium, takes a minimal amount of money, and leaves.

First, the doctor visits his childhood friend, banker Pavel Sudakovsky. Kashtanov complains to his friend that he desperately misses real surgery and that paperwork is killing him. Then he travels to the village of Tikhie Omuty in the Tver region. His school friend Alexander Savelyev lives there.

A dangerous journalist and the missing millions

While waiting for his train at a Moscow hotel, Kashtanov encounters the assertive TV journalist Zhenya Tobolskaya, nicknamed Jackie. While pursuing top model Claudia Schiffer, the reporter knocks the surgeon unconscious. The doctor spends all his cash on the hotel room and is left completely penniless. Meanwhile, two million dollars are discovered missing from Kashtanov’s charitable foundation. Simultaneously, the academician himself is reported missing. The doctor’s son, Nikita, jokingly tells Jackie about the missing money. The journalist decides to conduct her own investigation.

Soon, Zhenya spots a hungry Kashtanov in a café. The penniless academic eats an unpaid bun. Cameraman Vladik films it with a hidden camera. Tobolskaya mistakes the surgeon for a millionaire thief, pays for his lunch, and gives him a hundred rubles for the commuter train fare. The television crew begins pursuing him in an old Zhiguli.

Life in the village

Arriving in Krushin, Kashtanov finds Savelyev absent. To support himself, the academic takes a job as a boatman at the Vechernie Zori tourist resort. Soon, Jackie and Vladik show up. The journalist accidentally falls into the icy lake. Kashtanov forces her to drink vodka, preventing a severe cold. Jackie informs the boatman of the missing millions. The doctor is deeply outraged by the suspicions, realizing the extreme danger of the situation. Police investigator Varvara Petrovna Muromova soon arrives at the resort. She disguises herself as a dietician and begins surveillance of the suspect.

The emergence of new feelings

The relationship between Kashtanov and Tobolskaya gradually warms. During a skirmish with some cows, Jackie seriously injures her leg. The surgeon carries her to the local hospital. The doctors immediately recognize the Moscow celebrity. The colleagues show medical solidarity and don’t turn the academician over to the police. The two begin to feel a mutual attraction. Kashtanov secretly buys an old country house and invites Jackie there. During a feast, Muromova attempts to interrogate the fugitive. The doctor laughs it off. He calls the journalist his fiancée to anger the investigator.

The professor secretly travels to Moscow to perform a complex surgical operation. Jackie watches her beloved at work on a monitor in the clinic. She sincerely admires his brilliant talent. Upon returning to Krushin, the heroes attend a celebration in honor of the town’s 500th anniversary. Kashtanov wins $150 from a local wealthy man, Yezhikov, at billiards. The couple uses the money to pay for a parachute ride behind a boat.

Just before the launch, Anton Mikhailovich and Zhenya confess their love. The doctor utters the right words: "A person can pass by everything. He can miss out on luck, money, success. But he has no right to pass by love." The surgeon is terrified of heights and water, but he overcomes his fear for the sake of his woman. Suddenly, the wind dies down. The parachute falls straight into the lake. The lovers safely emerge onto the shore to the sound of celebratory fireworks. They spend the night in a boatman’s plywood trailer.

A difficult choice

The next day, Pavel Sudakovsky arrives in Tikhie Omuty. The three old friends meet at the village bathhouse. Kashtanov introduces them to Jackie. The men happily welcome the journalist into their group. The ensuing idyll is shattered by the sudden arrival of Polina Sergeyevna and Nikita. His wife demands his immediate return home. His son supports his father and asks him to follow his heart. However, the surgeon shows weakness. He is not ready to break up with his wife right away and suggests that the journalist meet secretly in Moscow on certain days. Deeply offended, Zhenya gives him her watch, gets into her car, and drives away with Vladik. Kashtanov is left alone.

Return and the Bitter Truth

The vacation is over. Kashtanov shaves his beard and returns to the Moscow clinic. Now he looks like a popular movie star. His former deputy, Vanya, on the other hand, has grown a beard just like his boss’s. Muromova holds a press conference in Kashtanov’s office. She officially announces that the fund’s managing director has embezzled the money. The academician’s signatures were skillfully forged. The surgeon’s good name is fully restored. Jackie is also present at the press conference. He is present, but he avoids Anton Mikhailovich’s gaze at all costs.

That evening, the doctor arrives at his apartment. Polina Sergeevna has already done a cold, European-style renovation. She’s piled all of Kashtanov’s cherished possessions on the floor. Alone, the surgeon turns on the VCR. He watches a videotape handed to him by cameraman Vladik. The tape captures a kiss with Jackie and heartfelt words of love. Suddenly, his wife enters and sees the recording. Polina Sergeevna throws the tape down the garbage chute and categorically orders her husband to forget about the journalist forever. A dreary, gray everyday life begins. His wife feeds the doctor tasteless oatmeal and monitors his every move.

New Year’s miracle

Three months pass. On New Year’s Eve, Kashtanov is driving with Polina Sergeyevna through snowy Moscow. They get stuck in a traffic jam. An old Zhiguli pulls up in the next lane. Jackie is behind the wheel. The former lovers’ eyes meet. The journalist is crying. The cars pass, but Kashtanov suddenly jumps out. He runs through the dense traffic, catches up with Jackie’s car, and jumps right onto the hood. The windshield wipers clear the snow. Zhenya smiles and unlocks the door. The doctor climbs in. They share a kiss, and the out-of-control car slowly rolls toward the glittering New Year’s tree.