About the title
Russia, the 1910s. A budding poet, Shelkovnikov, is introduced to a patron — a bored aristocrat surrounded by protégés who are not especially successful creatively but are ambitious and bear eccentric nicknames. The group decides to play a prank on the naive poet, calling him "Dolly" and spreading rumors of his genius. Dolly begins to believe in his literary talent, popularity, and appeal to women, unaware that it's all a prank. But while the "friends" wait to expose the fake star, things take an unexpected turn.