The film almanac tells about the legendary paintings of the great Russian painters of the 19th century. Each of the 4 short stories is dedicated to one of the artists - symbols of Russian culture: Ivan Shishkin, Vasily Perov, Mikhail Vrubel and Viktor Borisov-Musatov. "Morning in a pine forest". "Troika". "Demon defeated." "Ghosts". Each of these paintings hides its own unique story, in which the fates of the heroes and the creator are intertwined. What was the fate of the boy Vasyatka from Perov's "Troika" in real life? Did Shishkin really never paint bears? Why did Borisov-Musatov see ghosts? And is it true that it was "The Defeated Demon" that played a fatal role in the fate of Mikhail Vrubel?