In the south of Soviet Russia, there is a city that has evolved into its own unique breed of ghetto — an enclave harboring a clashing mix of multi-ethnic outlaw gangs. Here, two ten year-old boys, Kolima and Gagarin, members of a gang of exiled Siberians, are best friends growing up together.
Their education is also unique, consisting almost exclusively of mastering the illegal arts: theft, banditry and the use of weaponry.
Their clan has its own very stringent code of honor, which, while criminal, sometimes actually coincides with what is generally considered ethical and moral. In any case, it is a code that must never be broken, no matter what.
But as time passes, the boys grow up, and the world around them undergoes seismic shifts.
When you are twenty years old and the world is opening up before you, you want to claim your share; and that is also when abiding by the rules is not necessarily your primary concern.
However, as Grandfather Kuzja, the head of the Siberian clan, teaches: “It is crazy to want too much! A man cannot possess more than his heart can love.”