Heorhii Brasyuk

Construction of the Dnipro Hydroelectric Station began in 1927. The subsequent flooding of the Dnipro rapids forever changes the ancient way of life of farmers from coastal villages. However, the old maritime pilot Ostap Kovban is in no hurry to accept progress. Only his own son Andriy stands in his way.

In one of the small port towns, a boy named Vasya lives in a basement with his drunkard father and sister Ganusya. After a disagreement, his drunken friends kill his father. Ganusya is sent to a children's colony. Vasya joins a group of homeless people. One day, the leader of the homeless, Koska, and his friend, nicknamed Sailor, detain a girl, Alya, the daughter of the seaman Chugunov, on the street to get a ransom for her. But while Koska and Sailor negotiate with the father for a ransom, Vasya, who was assigned to watch over Alya, releases the girl and takes her to her father himself. The verdict of the homeless is unequivocal: this is treason.