The film is about the adventures of three young agents, fighters of the 1st Cavalry Army, set against the background of the Russian Civil War and the struggle with the Makhnovist forces. At the beginning Nestor Makhno (Vladimir Sutyrin) and his troops attack the village, committing various crimes, including murdering peasants, robbing huts, stealing livestock, killing communists. In the attack, a man's father is captured, tortured and killed under Makhno's orders. Afterwards, the three of them organize a detachment against Makhno.