Vladimir Faynberg

Twelve-year-old Valera lives with his parents in a small village. In the boy's family, everything is subordinated to one thing: the accumulation of wealth. Valera's life is also filled with this. He does not play or run around like other children, but works all day long. Even fishing is not a pleasure for the boy, but a way to earn more money. But one day while fishing, Valera met a stranger who asked him to find him temporary accommodation. Valera brought Arkady Sergeyevich to his home — and from that moment on, he had a true friend and protector. Under the influence of this man, Valera realized that he couldn't live the way his family did.

In a high-mountain Ossetian village where archaeological excavations were being carried out, a local schoolboy, Murat, worked part-time. Zaur, Murat's cousin, who was visiting them for the summer holidays, accidentally finds an ancient jug with gold coins at the excavation site and hides it from everyone. In the fall, Murat moved to the city, where he entered college to learn the profession of a mason. Once he stood up for the honor of Lena, a student of the same school...

The valiant Soviet police are fighting counter-revolutionary banditry, helping the Caucasian poor to follow the difficult road to a bright socialist future.