HERMITAGE-NIKS--the five-part, in-depth series version of THE HERMITAGE DWELLERS-- is not necessarily about the art that resides in the world renowned museum, but about the people who work in the Hermitage.

These "Hermitage-Niks" all have their own very personal reasons for considering the palace of Catharine the Great their "home." For them, it is a safe haven that quite literally has managed to keep the tumultuous Russian 20th century history outside its walls: from the Revolution, the terror of Stalin, WWII, the harsh post-Soviet years - all these events have left their mark on the museum. What starts out as a playful kaleidoscope of people and events in the museum gradually unfolds into a poignant account of how the dwellers' pain is transformed by their intimate relationship with a piece of art.