A young frustrated poet moves into an old communal apartment in Saint Petersburg. Incompetence leads him to the constant contemplation of a suicide and anticipation of a post-mortem fame. However, the apartment he’s settled in is not suitable for meeting one’s end because of the lack of hot water. It doesn’t bother the tenants since they’re too afraid of a mysthical ‘Babay’ (Boogeyman) allegedly killing everyone who dares to fix it. The protagonist refuses to accept these terms and challenges Babay confonting him in his own room.