Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
Trouble Returns Home
Two friends return to their hometown and encounter a gang exploiting children and drunken passersby. Their initial physical responses fail to solve the deeper problem.
Key Events
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Two Returns Home — Two longtime friends return to their hometown, one from military service and the other from a correctional colony.
Location: Hometown
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The Hooligan Gang — A gang of hooligans extorts children and robs drunken passersby.
Location: Hometown streets
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First Street Clash — The returning friends confront the gang after witnessing its intimidation of local people.
Location: Hometown street
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Repeated Scuffles — Several physical confrontations fail to end the gang's influence.
Location: Hometown streets
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Youth Influence Noticed — The former soldier realizes that a young relative is beginning to follow the gang.
Location: Hometown neighborhood
A Chance Through Boxing
The former soldier recognizes that violence alone cannot change the situation. He proposes that the gang members join a boxing club, and some begin to leave the gang leader's influence.
Key Events
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A Different Proposal — Instead of starting another fight, the former soldier proposes a constructive alternative.
Location: Hometown street
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Boxing Club Offer — The gang members are invited to join a boxing club led by their former opponent's friend.
Location: Boxing club
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Boys Change Direction — Some boys accept the offer and begin distancing themselves from the gang leader.
Location: Boxing club
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Chemistry Teacher Introduced — Polina Borisovna teaches chemistry and biology at the local school. Characters: Polina Borisovna
Location: Local school
The School Retaliation
Polina Borisovna refuses to pass the gang leader in chemistry, preventing him from receiving his diploma. In retaliation, the gang vandalizes the school's cherished greenhouse.
Key Events
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Exam Grade Refused — Polina Borisovna refuses to give the gang leader a passing chemistry grade. Characters: Polina Borisovna
Location: Local school
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Diploma Denied — Failing the mandatory examination prevents the gang leader from receiving a high school diploma.
Location: Local school
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Retaliation Planned — The gang leader reacts angrily to the failed examination and directs hostility toward the school.
Location: Hometown
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Greenhouse Vandalized — The gang vandalizes the greenhouse that students built over six years. Characters: Polina Borisovna
Location: School greenhouse
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Teacher Faces Loss — The vandalism damages a school project that is especially important to Polina Borisovna. Characters: Polina Borisovna
Location: School greenhouse
Threat At The Greenhouse
The former soldier confronts the gang leader after the vandalism. The gang leader escalates the encounter by threatening him with a jagged broken bottle neck.
Key Events
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Threat With Broken Glass — The gang leader threatens the former soldier with the jagged neck of a broken bottle.
Location: School grounds
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Former Paratrooper Resists — The former paratrooper refuses to retreat despite the threat.
Location: School grounds
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Final Physical Struggle — The former paratrooper defeats the gang leader in the final confrontation.
Location: School grounds
Guidance After Victory
The former soldier defeats the gang leader and brings him to the police. A police major then recognizes his ability to guide young people and urges him toward that work.
Key Events
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Gang Leader Arrested — The defeated gang leader is taken to the police.
Location: School grounds
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Major Offers Guidance — A police major speaks with the former soldier after the arrest. Characters: police major
Location: Police station
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A Life With Youth — The police major urges the former soldier to dedicate his life to guiding young people. Characters: police major
Location: Police station
Eugene returned from the army, and his friend Kostya Sila — from the penal colony. Having met, heroes decided to leave the city: one didn't wait for the beloved girl, another doesn't want to see sympathetic views of former acquaintances. But the meeting with the police major — a talented teacher — changed their intent. All summer heroes devoted to wrest from the influence of the bully the group of boys.