Olzhas Dalelkhan

Zhandos, a music teacher, lives in the small town of Balkhash and dreams of moving to a big city. He is loved by his students, and the school turns a blind eye to his side jobs. When a patron nostalgic for his hometown arrives, Zhandos is given the chance to leave and must decide what matters more: the art within him, or himself within art.

1988. The young composer Turdykylish Iztaev is facing a creative crisis and is on the brink of depression. He has a family, children, and a job, but he has always dreamed of writing a song that will remain in history. His wife, Khanbibi Esenkarakzy, a well-known poetess, tries to support him and invites him to a May Day getaway in the mountains. However, this retreat becomes a trial for Khanbibi: Turdykylish falls in love with the young Nurikamal, who has come from Akmolinsk. Khanbibi watches the events unfold with jealousy and faces a difficult choice — to "gift" her husband the inspiration he seeks or to save their family.

In 1997, Aman, an ordinary guy, an honest husband and a doctor, tries to live honestly and be an example to others. Everything changes when he is unjustly kidnapped and sold into labor slavery.