A sad and funny story based on Hans Christian Andersen tales.
Sailor Garkush and minder Nomokonov after the death of the whole team remain on the armored boat N042 together. Fulfilling the order of the command, they blow up the bridge, but find themselves behind enemy lines. In different ways, an infantryman Soloukhin, director of the bank Kozubenko, circus artist Elton and felon Donchak, who escaped from prison, get on an armored boat. Different in character and inclinations, they did not come together right away. Over time, they were united by a common hatred of the enemy, and in the battles with the Nazis their courage, resourcefulness, selflessness were forged ...
Summer, 1944. A military airbase near the very front-line. A young soviet pilot Sergey makes his first practice flight. In the course of this flight he hears a call for help on the radio from Russian pilots, having an unequal air combat with superior forces of the enemy. Sergey rushes to their rescue. His plane gets shut down, and he is taken prisoner. Soon he is taken to a special flight school, where future German aces are prepared and Russian pilots at the wheel of captured Russian aircrafts are used as living targets. Nobody wants to put up with such situation, and they prepare an escape.
