According to the plot of Kharms' miniature, a spicy and intimate conversation takes place between a man and a woman, which is interrupted by an unexpected guest—a man in a black coat and two soldiers—as the forces of law and order intervene in the characters' amorous antics. In the film version of "Obstacles," children witness this story and decide to reenact it in their own way, turning it into a game and thus neutralizing its tragic subtext.