Zhenya, a nurse and orphan, is getting married and just needs to meet her fiancé's parents. But things couldn't go worse – his family isn't ready to accept the orphan until she finds her mother. Zhenya finds a job as a nurse for a retired police colonel, Vasily Petrovich, and their friendship blossoms into a deep friendship. He helps her search for her mother, and Zhenya tries to reconcile the colonel with her son, Pyotr, with whom she's fallen in love. But Pyotr isn't at all happy about the arrival of a "sponge" in their home – he suspects Zhenya of pursuing a materialistic interest in his father.
Vasily Petrovich dies unexpectedly, and their shared grief brings Zhenya and Pyotr closer. They become close. While sorting through the colonel's documents, Zhenya learns that Vasily Petrovich has bequeathed his house to her. She's hesitant to tell Pyotr this, but he learns from a notary, and this leads to their breakup. Peter leaves for abroad, and Zhenya receives two pieces of news: she finds her birth mother's address and learns that she is pregnant...