Khuat Abuseitov

A comedy about Krushchev's 'Virgin Lands' project, to transform the barren and inhospitable spaces of the vast Soviet Union into fertile agricultural plains. A classically Socialist-Realist narrative of an individual's 're-education'. Zhenia, a hapless idler, arrives with a band of enthusiastic young Konsomol members to build a new town in the steppe. Although his dream, like that of all the young participants, is 'to become a tractor driver and a hero', he isn't prepared to work for the honour.

Ichthyologist Tonya Tikhonova and the chief engineer of the fishery plant, Ryazanov, are heading to the fishing seiner "Squall" (Shkval). Tonya loves Ryazanov, and this love frightens her. Ryazanov is also the object of affection of Panna, the wife of Ermak, the captain of the seiner. "Squall" is on course for Krutaya Bay — promising a good catch. Ryazanov and Panna go to the bay to check the composition of the plankton.

The prototypes of the heroes of this TV movie were the residents of the state farm named after him. Toraighyrova.

In August 1941, two largest Soviet film studios Mosfilm and Lenfilm were evacuated to Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan. There, together with the newly founded Alma-Ata Film Studio, they were merged into TsOKS (Central United Film Studio), which became the main center of film production in the country until 1944. Now Kazakh film industry veterans who worked at the studio during these years recall the dawn of national cinema and years of work with Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Romm and others.

The train goes to Moscow. In the same carriage with the railway workers who are going to the meeting, there is a Chinese writer collecting material for his future novel about the people of Soviet Kazakhstan. He discovers an old newspaper in his archive. The newspaper contains photos of the best drummers — builders of Turksib: Ospan, Hakim, Boris, Hadisha and others. They turn out to be the writer's neighbors on the car — yesterday's ordinary workers, builders, now the most prominent statesmen, heads of railways. At the request of the writer, Ospan tells a touching story of their life and love.

In Dzhezkazgan, to work in the mines, come Sapar and Sharip, just that graduated from school, but did not enter the institute. Sapar - a hot, enthusiastic and responsive young man, and Sharip - a style and cynic. About how their further fate, about how both of them found their place in life and became good miners, and tells the film.