Uncle Vova and the Violinist are Patsaks. The only group allowed to use weapons ("tranklucators") and enforce their will are the "ecilopps" ("police" spelled backwards). Outside being a Patsak or Chatlanin, respect towards others is determined by the color of their pants; different shades require those of lower social standing to "ku" at them a predetermined number of times, displaying their submission. The nominal leader of the Plukanian society is Mr. P-Zh; everybody makes their best to display fervent worship to him and disrespect is severely punished; however, when encountered in person, P-Zh appears harmless and dumb. The fuel of Pluke is called "luts" and is made from water. All naturally present water has apparently been processed into luts, so drinking water is a valuable commodity (in fact, it can only be made from luts). A good deal of the plot is based on the fact that ordinary wooden matchsticks ("ketse") are considered to be extremely valuable on Pluke. Uncle Vova and the Violinist meet two locals, Uef and Bi, who at various points either help or abandon the Earthling duo in their quest to return to Earth, which at various times involves repairing Uef and Bi's ship or raiding P-Zh's private compound. Uncle Vova and the Violinist finally encounter the man from the film's beginning, but he disappears, making it uncertain if he took them with him. The film then jumps back to the very beginning. As Uncle Vova heads outside, however, there is no man at the city center; furthermore, when he runs into the Violinist there, they do not recognize each other. Suddenly, a passing tractor with a flashing, orange light reminds them of the "ecilopps", and they both reflexively squat and say, "ku!", as it was required on Pluke. They immediately recognize each other. Uncle Vova, looking at the sky, hears the sound of a song performed by the Uef and Bi. Cast (in order of appearance) Stanislav Lyubshin as Vladimir Nikolayevitch Mashkov ("Uncle Vova") Galina Daneliya-Yurkova as Lucya, Mashkov's wife Levan Gabriadze as Gedevan Alexandrovitch Alexidze ("Fiddler") Anatoli Serenko as the Barefoot Wanderer from Uzm Yury Yakovlev as Bi the Patsak, a wandering singer Yevgeny Leonov as Uef the Chatlanian, a wandering singer Igor Khan as the one-handed smuggler Alexander Litovkin as the gang leader Valentin Bukin as black-moustached ecilop in an egg-shaped pepelats, demonstrating how a tranklucator works Irina Shmelyova as Tsan, the cart