In the heart of bustling Moscow, Alexei and his mother, Mamochka, find themselves ensnared in the chaos of a cramped communal apartment. Here, the walls are thin, and privacy is a luxury they can only dream of. Every morning, they navigate the shared spaces—the bathroom, the kitchen, the toilet—under the disapproving glares of neighbors who harbor little fondness for the duo. "Don't touch anything," Mamochka commands Alexei as he groggily stumbles towards the bathroom. Her warnings echo with the urgency of someone accustomed to treading lightly in a world that feels perpetually hostile. Despite the press of humanity around them, Alexei and Mamochka remain emotionally marooned, their lives a delicate dance across a landscape fraught with social minefields.

An Outsider in His Own World

To society's merciless judgment, Alexei is an outcast. His peculiar mannerisms and unpredictable temper tantrums unsettle those he encounters, driving a wedge between him and the rest of the world. Whispers and cruel taunts, branding him a "retard," are his constant companions. His labor gluing cardboard boxes provides a modest income, yet it is Mamochka who manages the finances. Alexei yearns to grip the coins and bills himself, dreaming of trading them for simple pleasures like ice cream. But such desires remain unfulfilled, an ever-present reminder of his isolation from the world he longs to understand. The enigma of women, with their distinct presence in sight, sound, and scent, baffles him. Each encounter leaves him feeling "unsettled," except when he is with Mamochka, the only constant in his bewildering universe.

In a world woven with intricate "rules" known to everyone but him, Alexei finds himself reliant on his mother's guidance to navigate the bewildering maze of daily life. Devoid of her counsel, the universe threatens him with unseen snares, leaving Alexei's days marred by a constant undercurrent of fear and anxiety.

Each morning, Alexei lies in waiting until Mamochka grants him permission to rise from the sanctuary of his bed. As he tiptoes into the bathroom, he must vigilantly avoid touching anything or creating the slightest disturbance, lest the neighbors unleash their grievances. The journey through the communal kitchen is like a perilous foray into an enchanted forest, where grizzled hags seem to plot sinister brews over bubbling cauldrons of unspeakable ingredients: ''Old ladies grumble at the hot stove, they're stewing poison in pots, they add the roots of terrible plants, follow Alexei Petrovich with bad looks.’’ Desperate, he calls for his mother’s comforting presence. People are a source of dread for Alexei, none more so than the enigmatic Sea Girl. She is ' 'the most dangerous creature'' because she awakens in him a whirlpool of emotions that baffle and unsettle him.

Braving the world on his own, Alexei's ventures confirm his deepest fears of its perilous nature. Venturing beyond the confines of his mother's protection, he is seduced by the allure of an open door and succumbs to the temptation of pilfering money left in plain sight. This realization of theft propels him into the city's nocturnal chaos, where, stripped of societal norms, he suffers a brutal beating. The harsh realities of the night drive him back to the safety of his apartment, where only the familiar embrace of Mamochka can quell his fears.

Alexei drifts through life like a recluse, cocooned from reality. When night descends and sleep embraces him, his dreams whisk him away to fantastical realms brimming with mushrooms and dragons. In these nocturnal escapades, he feels as if he becomes two distinct beings: one almost vanishing into the ether while the other expands so immensely that he nudges...