In which a spirited and resolute boy named Kolya, cherished yet anxiously protected by his devoted mother, navigates the challenging world of school and youthful bravado, including a perilous dare on the railway that cements his reputation among his peers. The tender complexities of affection and respect play quietly beneath the surface, as his mother’s fears and a schoolmaster’s admiration intertwine with the boy’s growing self-awareness and mischievous spirit.