At last, Judge Irina Polyakova is assigned a seemingly simple case: the former wife of the famous playwright Vetrova, in a state of affect, killed her current spouse, young actress Veronika Pavlova. A psychiatric examination found the woman not to be sane; the court only needs to send her for involuntary treatment. There is no doubt—the evidence is eloquent, and relatives and colleagues testify that strange behavior of Valeria Mikhailovna had been observed for a long time. And only restless Gortenzia Andreevna wonders: with what purpose did Veronika want to meet Valeria Mikhailovna?