Archaeologists have found on the island of Eagle remnants of slave shackles. On the expedition, rumors of an old legend spread about the figure of Achilles, who sometimes appeared on the local rock, and who was helping the sailors to find a safe fairway in bad weather. The expedition after a long search finds nothing and moves out, but the leader decides to stay. And after a while, he discovers a mysterious state created by runaway slaves...

The main character, Anna Denisova, is a simple Russian woman, on whose shoulders all the hardships of wartime fell. Like all her compatriots, Annushka did everything in her power to bring Victory Day closer. In this war, she lost her husband, Pyotr, but managed to save the lives of her three children — Sasha, Nina and Granata. The trials of Annushka didn't end with the end of the war. In the first years of peace, all survivors had to survive the famine and spend their last strength on rebuilding the country.

Spring of 1944. In a small village on the banks of the Dniester River, at the kulak estate of Sanda Țițan, everyone awaits the arrival of Soviet power in their own way. Sanda’s eldest son, a Romanian officer, leaves home with the occupying forces. The younger sons head into the forest, taking their mother’s last savings with them. Nikolai withdraws deeper into himself, realizing the futility of his life and vaguely hoping for something new, something bright. And standing firm amidst all this turmoil is Alexandra, Sanda’s steadfast daughter-in-law.