Two men (both being junior officers in Soviet Army, in 1986), nicknamed "Bratishka" (Little Brother) and "Poekhavshiy" (The Mad), are being held in a penal military prison. The room which they share looks like a dark cellar with a dripping sewer pipe running through it. One of the prisoners, Poekhavshiy, seems to be delirious and never stops talking. He tells stories of his past, sings the song of the "Green Elephant" circus, does push-ups, comes up with crazy ideas and even mimics a heron in an attempt to cheer up his cellmate Bratishka, leading only to an increase in his anger. He receives a violent beating from the enraged Bratishka, before he is then taken from the cell by a guard to clean up a dirty toilet bowl with a fork.