Vasil Yakovets

Tenth-grader Nikolai Olkhovnikov from the provincial town of Olkhovka wrote a heartfelt protest to the newspaper, accusing the "town fathers" of unjust actions. The boy became an outcast in town, but no matter how much his few friends and old teacher tried to warn him, he did not retract his words. And some time later, a letter arrived in the same newspaper with a report of Nikolai's death during a fight with rowdy boys who decided to teach the young truth-seeker a lesson.

The film tells about the fate of a little boy Pylypko. In the hungry winter of 1932-1933, his mother died. The boy is taken away by his uncle, but Pylypko runs away from his house in search of his mother. He got lost in the woods and almost froze. The child is saved from death by two monks and taken to a monastery. There he learned to paint icons and proved to be a very capable artist. Later a Frenchman came to the monastery. His young daughter is very ill, and the boy sincerely wishes her recovery. Learning that this requires praying to St. Panteleimon, Philip decides to draw his icon and help the girl.