"Careerism" is the villain in this Soviet "message" film. Careerism is a term which, in Soviet usage, has to do with bureaucratic obfuscation, and a "careerist" is an unprincipled back-stabbing opportunist, who will do absolutely anything to get ahead. The argument of this drama is that the prevalence of careerism was a major factor in preventing the Soviet Union from achieving needed industrial progress. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi