Arseny Semenov

The plot is based on the story of a village demented youth. He is a local fool, living in a poor hut with a sick mother. His neighbors are the Jewish family of the local blacksmith Mendel, and he is secretly in love with his youngest daughter Sonya. When the war starts, the Germans quickly occupy the village. Panic begins among the Jews, as well as in the Mendel family, and they try to equip a shelter at home, which the young man becomes aware of. Hoping to get the blacksmith's house, he reveals this secret to the Germans, but the German military police take him to their headquarters. The protagonist finds Sonya in his garden and wants to save her life, not imagining what difficulties this decision will turn out to be for everyone.

1905. A Jewish Shtetl. Shimek and Buzya are two 10 year olds. Of course, she is a princess and he is a prince. They live in the same yard, in neighboring palaces. What Buzya really means to him, Shimek begins to understand only years later when, far away from home, when he receives the news that Buzya is about to be married off.

Février 1942. Après plusieurs mois de combat, une compagnie de l'Armée rouge, dont il ne reste qu'un tiers du personnel, chasse enfin l'ennemi du village d'Ovsyannikovo. Les combattants, épuisés, attendent des renforts, mais le quartier général leur ordonne de garder le village à tout prix, ce qui signifie une condamnation à mort. Le commandant de la compagnie est confronté à un choix difficile : exécuter un ordre de commandement dénué de sens et perdre les personnes restantes ou mettre les soldats à l'abri du feu et aller au tribunal..