The film takes place in the late 1920s, during the emergence of the first collective farms in Turkmenistan. The main character Aina works as a laborer for the kulak Esen-bay, who hates the Soviet regime and is associated with the Basmachi.

The action takes place in February 1937 in Turkmenistan near the Soviet–Afghan border. A detachment of Basmachi fighters must cover a saboteur’s crossing into Soviet territory…

Ten steps from the round pillar, in the ruins of the old fortress of Kum-Basan-Kala, secret messages are hidden, which must be delivered abroad. For these documents, foreign intelligence sends its spy. The film tells about the events that took place in the old fortress.