Finally, Judge Irina Polyakova is assigned a simple case: the former wife of the famous playwright Vetrov, in a fit of rage, killed his current wife, the young actress Veronika Pavlova. A psychiatric examination declared the woman not of sound mind; the court needs only to send her for compulsory treatment. There are no doubts—evidence speaks eloquently, and relatives and colleagues testify that Valeria Mikhailovna’s odd behavior had been observed for a long time. And only the restless Gortenziya Andreevna wonders: for what purpose did Veronika want to meet Valeria Mikhailovna?