Novyy roman Diny Rubinoy otpravit chitatelya v puteshestvie po sovetskoy Astrahani, Polshe i voennoy Buhare. «Malchiki» - intriguyuschaya zavyazka bolshoy avantyurnoy istorii «Dizayner Zhorka».
V dome desyatiletnego Itsika na raznye golosa otschityvayut vremya 387 chasov. Unikalnuyu kollektsiyu nachal sobirat ded malchika, a zatem prodolzhil otets - oba iskusnye chasovschiki. Ubegaya ot gitlerovskogo nashestviya, semya okazyvaetsya v evakuatsii. Cherez neskolko let Itsik, zovuschiysya teper Tsezarem, vozvraschaetsya v otchiy dom, no vmesto kollektsii chasov nahodit lish razvaliny. Eta utrata podtolknet ego vvyazatsya v delo, kotoroe gazetchiki nazovut «Elegantnoe ograblenie».
Cherez desyatiletiya na stsenu vyydet Dizayner Zhora. On zhe Zhorzh, Georg, Yurgen, Schyors - v zavisimosti ot strany prebyvaniya. A poka on vsego lish strannyy malchik-sirota Zhorka. Sudba svedet ego i pozhilogo Tsezarya Adamovicha, rabotayuschego teper mehanikom-laborantom v leprozorii. Ih zhizni svyazhet tayna odnoy kollektsii.
