Ali Uzdenov

In the early days of the Great Patriotic War old Kuzmich from the village of Kurakino guesses that a long war lies ahead. As the village falls under German occupation and repressions intensify, he keeps aloof, arousing suspicions. Following the execution of fellow villagers and accusations of betrayal, Kuzmich agrees to serve as a guide for the German detachment, ostensibly to get a horse and save his family. In reality, however, he is planning a sacrificial deception: through his grandson Vaska, he conveys information about the enemy's route to the Soviet troops. At the critical moment, Kuzmich leads the German mountain troopers into a trap, repeating the feat of Ivan Susanin. At the cost of his own life the old man leads the enemy to perdition, becoming a symbol of the people's resistance.

The plot takes place in the Altai Mountains, where snow leopards, rare and majestic predators, face the threat of extinction. The main character of the film is a baby snow leopard, who has just been born, whom the staff of the Sailyugemsky National Park name Tural, which means "immortal" in the Altai language. He got this name after all his fellow badgers died during the winter feeding season, and Tural turned out to be the only survivor. But when the threat to life has passed, the baby suddenly disappears from the field of view of the staff of the National Park. Will he be able to survive in the wild? And will he ever return to his native Sailugem?