Judging from Theme, a Russian film completed in 1980 but only released in 1986, writers around the world seem to face the same problems of inspiration and creative renewal. Mikhail Ulyanov is Kim, a famous playwright who enjoys all the outward benefits of success but is inwardly tormented by his inability to create a work of lasting value. On a trip with his mistress and another writer, Kim meets Sasha (Inna Churikova), a tour guide who criticizes the failings of his work and offers him a subject worthy of his attention. Falling in love with her as his muse, Kim is devastated that Sasha is involved with another man. Theme, directed by Gleb Panfilov, offers a moderately interesting reworking of a literary subject which has intrigued filmmakers for years.