A story about a group of countryside children playing detectives in their village.
After traveling around the country, Alexey Krasheninnikov stayed in the city - they promised an apartment at work. But a letter came saying that the old people were sick. Alexey went home with his family and decided not to return to the city after his father's funeral...
A family struggles to survive in an area that was claimed as part of Rumania, Poland and the Ukraine, all within a short span of time. When World War II comes, various family members choose different masters; some even choose to work for the Soviets. War, struggle, marriages, births, deaths--all these events punctuate the story of this large family.