Director Arkady Gromov decides to make a film about the life of scientists, presenting them as grim hermits detached from life, completely immersed in research. As a prototype the director decides to use a real scientist – Irina Nikitina, director of the Sun Institute. For the role of "Nikitina", Gromov finds Vera Shatrova, a young operetta actress who is an exact mirror image of her character.