In 1998, a group of youngsters enlist in Siberia to fight in Afghanistan against the mujahidin. They are sent to a boot camp in Fergana, Uzbekistan, where they are submitted to the brutality and abuses of the disturbed Sergeant Dygalo during the training period, increasing their camaraderie. Then they are flown to Bagram Base in Afghanistan; join the 9th Company; and move to the Khowst Province, 3234 m height, to defend the mountain and protect the convoys with supplies.