The film is about the screenwriter Yuri Arabov and his first experience as a director: the filming of the film "Gjirokastra" in Albania, which tells about state terror and Soviet-Albanian friendship. For the first time, Arabov performs in an unfamiliar role, as if he himself is playing the role (of the director), building relationships with the actors and the film crew, while giving himself grades. According to Arabov himself, the shooting of the picture turned out to be an unexpected way for him, launching implicit cause-and-effect relationships in his fate.