
In 1920 Poltava, Ukraine, the first Soviet colony for street boys was created. This film tells the story of these rebellious kids and how the colony's director sought to rehabilitate them by allowing them to govern themselves.

Vladimir Yemelyanov
Anton Semyonovich Makarenko

Georgiy Yumatov
Sasha Zadorov

Yuriy Sarantsev
Grisha Burun

Yulian Panich
Semyen Karabanov

Rolan Bykov
Stepan Perets

Pavel Kadochnikov
Aleksei Maximovich "Maxim" Gorky

Yelena Litskanovich
Yekaterina Grigoryevna
Misha Chernov
Anton Semyenovich "Toska" Solovyev

Konstantin Bartashevich
Chairman of Public Education

Vladimir Boriskin
Kovrakh
Mykhailo Pokotylo
Kalina Ivanovich
Aleksandr Denisov
Ivan Zacharzhevsky
Ill boy

Konstantin Mikhailov
Inspector Sharin