Boris Izotov is a simple literature teacher who adores his wife and little daughter. Every year they celebrate a family holiday in a cafe. But he was a little late for the last celebration - he stayed at school. By tragic accident, it is in this cafe that there is a showdown between criminal groups, and the wife and daughter of Boris die as a result of the explosion.

In the Siberian taiga village of Wolf's Burrows, the Strogov family lives — Matvey with his wife Anna and his parents. Through the fate of this peasant family, a picture of the life of the Siberian region during major historical events — the Russo-Japanese War, the 1905 Revolution, the October Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War is outlined.

Schoolboy Vasya and his little sister Klasha live on the shore of a picturesque lake, in which trout are bred. With the help of their friends, the dogs of the Quiver and the horse Strelka, the guys detain the poachers.