Kostya and his friends are young and love playing street football. Kostya dreams of playing professionally, but cannot bring himself to approach the coach. His girlfriend, Nastya, shares his dream, but street football is Kostya’s life, and the outdoor pitch is akin to a second home, a place for friends to meet and play.

Two young boys must decide what is more important for them - duty or friendship.

With World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the Russian Civil War as backdrop, it's an old-fashioned, blood-and-guts narrative, filled with earthly humor and a wealth of colorful characters. The story concerns the fluctuating fortunes of Grigory Melekhov, a young Cossack who is both a hero and a victim of the uprising.