The Geographer Drank His Globe Away

Synopsis : The main character, a biologist named Victor Sluzhkin, loses his job and, to make ends meet, is forced to take a job in a local school as a geography teacher. The family has little money and lives in a dilapidated apartment in an old Soviet era building. His best friend is having an affair with his wife. The students in his class do not respect him and the assistant principal does not like his teaching methods. He feels lonely and depressed. To deal with the stresses of life, he drinks a lot. His alcohol-fueled binges provide a temporary respite, but no lasting comfort. When he organizes a trip on the river with a group of students from his class, it turns into a journey of self-discovery both for him and for the young men and women from his class.