A portrait of Soviet neurologist Ivan Pavlov, who famously proved that dogs could be trained to salivate at the sound of a bell, presides over a grey schoolroom where girls in sailor dresses line up to be inspected by a strict mistress. Bells tinkle; girls walk in and out. Woe betide any girl with a hole in her stocking! In this surreal, tightly controlled fantasy, young Nala wants to break down the lines and show that it is this mistress who is really in charge – and that anyone could take her place.