As conflict rages between Russia and Ukraine, a woman struggles to get through to her friend caught in the middle of it.

When a Soviet state official attempts to coerce a celebrated poet into apologizing for a political joke he made, the official gets a taste of his own predatory medicine at the hand of the poet's vengeful wife.

In an fantastical Russia, a flower shop owner thinks he recognizes a strange woman on the street—and almost loses everything trying to remember who she is.

An old linguistics researcher is ousted from his university position on the frontier of a small island he acculturated. Upon his return home, he begins to believe that he and his life's work are marginal.

A Russian girl looks forward to occasional visits by her mother's best friend. When the friend soon plans to visit with her new deaf and blind lover, feelings of scandal, anxiety, and curiosity emerge in the girl's family.

The prideful uncle of a child piano prodigy pushes the girl to the detriment of her craft. A veteran musician warns him of the future that lies ahead.

An American college student who studies Russian history heads to St. Petersburg at the the end of the Cold War and becomes attracted to her roommate's boyfriend, a former soldier. His stories, along with her interactions with other college students, add to her experience of a tentative social environment in post-war Russia.

In 20th century Russia, a Korean-Russian mechanic's childhood best friend suddenly returns to their hometown. Their unexpected reunion stirs memories from their families' intertwined past and forces the mechanic to confront the disappearance of his Russian mother.

A Chinese woman reminisces on her relationship with her geologist husband, reuniting with him after a work-separation and his eventual death by sickness. Their communication centers around the husband's assistant, the Human Phonograph, who sings on command.

A Russian man recalls the first time he fell in love.