Acting
The first Russian talking picture which won a prize at the 1st Venice IFF. The action is set in 1923. The USSR is struggling with hunger and economic ruin. It is a story of homeless teenagers for whom a work commune is set up with the idea of uniting and reforming them.
Siberia, 1916-1917. Bolshevik Pyotr Sapozhkov is engaged in revolutionary propaganda and agitation in a small Siberian town after the end of his exile. He is assisted by his wife Varya. After the February Revolution, the Bolshevik party is still outlawed, Pyotr and Varya go into hiding and face arrest. The guards manage to capture their son Timu and the boy is taken to an orphanage.
An unexpected romance occurs for a female Red Army sniper and a White Army officer.
While investigating a regular traffic accidents detectives find evidence of foreign intelligence involvement.
An air base for forest protection is located not far from the border. A team of parachute firefighters takes off to extinguish the fire. Newcomer Valentin Volgin shows indecisiveness during his first flight and is late with his jump. Painfully experiencing his first failure, he avoids the gaze of the pretty instructor Irina Aleeva, who witnessed his unsuccessful jump. And then the team receives the task of providing assistance to the border guards, and Valentin, after a tense chase through the burning forest, overtakes and detains the saboteur.
