A 12-year old boy dreams of owning a pigeon but cannot afford the 100 rubles asked for one at the market. So he obtains one by trading his father's stamp album for it. But when he releases the bird into the sky, it returns to its previous owner, who demands another payment for it. Desperate, the boy gives the man his jar of goldfish and his vinyl records. This time, the boy ties a cord to the pigeon's foot before releasing it, but the flight almost kills it. Chastened, the boy climbs onto the roof and sets the bird free.