Jeune prodige du célèbre ballet du Kirov, Rudolf Noureev est à Paris en juin 1961 pour se produire sur la scène de l'Opéra. Fasciné par les folles nuits parisiennes et par la vie artistique et culturelle de la capitale, il se lie d'amitié avec Clara Saint, jeune femme introduite dans les milieux huppés. Mais les hommes du KGB chargés de le surveiller ne voient pas d'un bon œil ses fréquentations "occidentales" et le rappellent à l'ordre. Confronté à un terrible dilemme, Noureev devra faire un choix irrévocable, qui va bouleverser sa vie à jamais. Mais qui va le faire entrer dans l’Histoire.
La jeune et talentueuse danseuse Youlia Olchanskaïa, originaire d’une petite cité minière, tire le « bon numéro » : elle est remarquée par un ancien danseur qui lui prédit un avenir de grande ballerine. Mais la voie qui mène sur la légendaire scène du Bolchoï passe par le conservatoire, où la jeune provinciale insoumise est prise en charge par une professeure encore plus fantasque. Pour devenir danseuse étoile, il lui faudra faire des sacrifices inouïs…
The young talented girl Anya, dreaming of a ballet, enters the choreographic school. Due to poor health, learning for her becomes unbearably difficult, but dreams of a ballerina career make her stubbornly deal with adversity. Anna’s performance and determination does not go unnoticed by the celebrated choreographer Marius Petipa, who helps to stage Pavlova's examination performance. Such a gift becomes a starting point for Ani in the world of big ballet, her fast-paced career, position in high society and world fame make her forget about close friends and especially her faithful Michel Fokine, who invested a lot of energy in the formation of a ballerina.
The film features the leaders of the Moscow Classic Ballet Theater, Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilev, who aspire to transform their theater into an international ballet center. The film is based on a story about the personal life and creative plans of the famous ballet couple.
Choreographic school, young talents are collected here. Behind eight years of study - three months remain before the final performance. And finally, “Giselle” is appointed, roles are distributed, girls are worried - they are afraid of the wording “professionally unsuitable”, but Yulya’s thoughts are different. She fell in love for the first time. And she has to choose between her beloved and the stage.
Prima-ballerina Elena Knyazeva prepares for her performance on the anniversary jubilee for the theater Swan Lake on the eve of her fiftieth birthday and simultaneously participates in the production of the innovative ballet Master and Margarita. Suddenly, the choreographer gives the role of a young ballerina, with whom he begins an affair. Overcoming jealousy and desperation, Knyazeva begins to work with the student over the image of Margarita