In July 1942, in the Second World War, the rearguard of the Russian army protects the bridgehead of the Don River against the German army while the retreating Russian troops cross the bridge. While they move back to the Russian territory through the countryside, the soldiers show their companionship, sentiments, fears and heroism to defend their motherland.

• Mosfilm
• Vasiliy Shukshin
• Vyacheslav Tikhonov
• Sergei Bondarchuk
• Yuriy Nikulin
• Georgi Burkov
• Ivan Lapikov
• Nikolai Gubenko
• Nikolay Volkov