There is an old man named Yermolai Voyevodin living in a Siberian village. He has four sons and a daughter. They all have different lives. The oldest one - Ignat - moves to Moscow and begins to perform at a circus. He is happy with his life and manages to seduce his brother Maxim into coming to the capital. Maxim finds a job as a laborer at a construction site, but constantly feels loneliness. He longs for his village, but he is too proud to come back home. Another son - Stepan - gets into a "righteous" fight and goes to prison.