Elzyata Mandzhieva

About the post-war years in a small town in the Urals, where fate brought the Kalmyk boy Jirgalu. He will soon have to face the hatred of war-bitten locals. Hungry times force the boy to look for money for food, not disdaining theft. But a friend appears, nicknamed Bee. Possessing the talent of a painter, Bee opens the world of beauty to her friend. But an early death cut short his existence on earth, leaving a permanent mark in Jirgala’s memory.

When his father sells their baby camel Altynka, his mother, Mara, escapes to be find her calf. Her disappearance is a potential disaster for the family so eldest son, Bayir, takes off to retrieve her. What follows is part road movie, part coming-of-age as Bayr adventures across the Kalmyk steppe.