The protagonist of the series "Poor Relatives" is a young orphan girl named Serafima. When she was just a little girl, her parents were declared enemies of the people and repressed. The girl herself was sent to live with relatives in a village, where she was raised until the age of 17. But after finishing school, the heroine decides to return to her native Moscow. It turns out that her room has long been given to other people, and she won't be accepted into college with such a past. However, an elderly stenographer named Kira Petrovna teaches the girl her craft.