A young writer brings a collection of short stories to a big Moscow publishing house. The manuscript stays at the office and mysteriously influences the lives of anyone who opens it and reads at least one page. There are four stories in the manuscript, and four readers whose lives are changed after reading them. The situations range from realistic to absurd to thrilling to create a rich portrait of life in contemporary Russia and showcase the thoughts, feelings and ambitions of people who live there.

In the fall of 1963, Eddie Birdlace is an 18-year-old Marine Corps volunteer who is about to ship out with three of his buddies for a tour of duty in Viet Nam. Planning a massive blowout for their last night in San Francisco, Eddie, his buddies, and a number of other Marines set up a contest they call a “dogfight.”

A small group of amateur cooks and kitchen guests discover exactly why some refer to the kitchen as the “heart of the house”.

A doctor desperately tries to save his wife and their 5 year old son after their vacation in the Bahamas takes an unexpected turn.

Molly Bloom, a young skier and former Olympic hopeful becomes a successful entrepreneur (and a target of an FBI investigation) when she establishes a high-stakes, international poker game.

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

Bolt is the star of the biggest show in Hollywood. The only problem is, he thinks it’s real. After he’s accidentally shipped to New York City and separated from Penny, his beloved co-star and owner, Bolt must harness all his “super powers” to find a way home.

A couple who seems to have it all pushes their sex life to the edge. The story gets intertwined when an old flame, betrayal, lust and deceit enter the picture.

A family scandal shakes up Bangladesh when acclaimed filmmaker Javed Hasan marries his daughter’s friend. This movie, though initially banned by Bangladeshi government, was the country’s official entry to 2019 Oscars.

A sophisticated, middle-aged grandmother, wed to a New York law professor, falls in love with a down-to-earth Tennessee farmer.

Raised by an uncle in New York after his parents died in an attack orchestrated by the mafia, Thomas, now an adult, is sent to live in Italy. There, while his tortured past and the death of his parents come back to haunt him, he feels increasingly drawn to Thelma, his uncle’s mysterious wife. Soon Thomas will learn the truth about the death of his parents and foment a vengeance of great heights.

Two estranged brothers hit the road in a cross-country race that will both define their past and shape their future.