The ballet unfolds in three sequences. Each sequence begins with a group of people situated within the setting of the action—a confined space: A SPACE WITH AN ENTRANCE, BUT NO EXIT.
This space does not necessarily represent only the enclosed room depicted in the ballet; it may also be understood as a much larger space, even as our entire planet. The only way for these people to escape this enclosed environment is to continue moving endlessly within it.
The ballet is set to the music of one who can now unquestionably be regarded as a classic of twentieth-century contemporary music: Alfred Schnittke and his Concerto Grosso No. 1.
