At the age of ten, Zhenya Ardova lost her parents. Her uncle took the orphan from the orphanage, much to the displeasure of his domineering wife. Zhenya found neither love nor support in their home, but still managed to graduate with honors from the pedagogical institute. As a private teacher, Zhenya ends up in the home of the charismatic millionaire Arkadiy Gradov. She manages to find a common language with his daughter Ada, who lost her mother several years ago.