A young teacher is sent to a remote province, separating her from her lover, and sets about the difficult task of building a school there.

A geological expedition looking for gold in the Russian taiga is beset by a gang of thieves.

The stationmaster of a railway station situated in the steppes of Kazakhstan discovers a rubber-bearing plant. Soon, an expeditionary team arrives, led by Professor Shakhron, who will persistently argue—by hook or by crook—that there are no rubber-bearing plants in these steppes, all the while plotting a trip abroad. In ultimately exposing the professor, the team forces him to admit to concealing the results of their work.