 Ivan is just one of the gang, until the day his father, Tome, is laid off from his work. Depressed, Tome is unmotivated to look for new work, and his mood quickly infects the entire household. Ivan s friends are aware that something s wrong, but only belatedly discover the cause. When they offer Ivan a loan, he refuses it outright. However, he does accept the offer to start earning money by working at the neighborhood car wash and by joining Itse in a clown act. When Tome finds money in Ivan s pocket, he feels dishonored and humiliated, because he s convinced that somehow the neighbors are giving Ivan money out of pity. Only when Ivan angrily shows his father that he s trying to help the family by working does Tome realize that to better your life you have to actively and deliberately seek out ways to improve it.