Rich imagery and political allegory enliven a complex tale in this late Soviet-era mystery/drama. In the story, a government investigator has come to town to look into the validity of bribery charges that were brought against an official there. In the meantime, it is discovered that two twin brothers have been engaged in a kind of familial warfare. One was a medical doctor married to a beautiful woman. The second, who had no love for his brother and was interested in bedding his wife, impersonated his twin at the hospital and committed medical malpractice which resulted in a patient's death. The doctor, his career ruined, is now forced to support himself by going door-to-door selling kerosene, while his sociopathic brother becomes chairman of the local town council. The film's director, Aleksandr Kaidanovsky, is a student of Andrei Tarkovsky, and the master's influence clearly shows in the film.

The role of the Lover was Yevgeny's film debut.