November 1943. The Nazis bring a new batch of Soviet orphans to Vyritsa, where a so-called "orphanage" is set up in a former pioneer camp. The conditions here are unbearable: cold, hunger, forced labor, punishment for disobedience, for attempted escape - shooting. But the worst: children are used here as blood donors for wounded Germans. Despite the horror and inconceivability of what is happening, the young heroes rally together and find the strength and courage to resist and decide to escape.