A judge is devastated after the death of his wife and is neglectful of his children. His son befriends the children of a street beggar who live in an abandoned, derelict church. After his experience with his new friends, the young boy begins to feel sorry for his father and sympathizes with his loneliness.
The story revolves around two young schoolboy pioneers, Petya Vasechkin and Vasya Petrov, as they navigate their attempts at self-discovery and their shared affection for their friend, Masha Startseva.
