Korney Korneevich Polunin is a career military officer, a retired colonel. His wife died when his son was one and a half years old, Alexey had already grown up, became independent, and they rarely see each other. Unable to stay at home, Polunin goes to the factory as a locksmith - in his old specialty. Friends perceive this as an oddity, and they look at him warily at work. But a group of teenagers comes to the plant's personnel department, and Polunin undertakes to lead this team, instilling in it respect for work and awareness of his need to achieve the final result of work.