Aleksandr Zimin

Under the guise of "student construction team of graduate students" a brigade of "covenants" arrives to the collective farm, expecting to get one thousand rubles for the construction of the "fountainarium" that is not envisaged by the estimate. However, under the gun of a local photo correspondent and the close attention of the collective farmers, Ruslan Ruslanych, a student of evening school, drunkard Tyulkin, illuminator in the theater Savchuk and hiding from alimony Panin, in order not to give himself away, are forced to work diligently and to be rehabilitated.

In November, 1942, near the Volga, Stanlingrad is under siege of Commander Friederich Paulus and his 330,000 men. The Russian high command unleashes an operation to protect the Mishkova River to avoid that about four hundred tanks join Paulus' army. The Soviet artillery soldiers protect their position with their lives in a bloodshed with few survivors.