In a small Kazakh village next door, Kazakh Assan and Russian Ivan live peacefully. A strange thing happens - Ivan's wife gives birth to a dark-skinned boy who looks more like a Kazakh than a Russian. And six months later, Assan also becomes a father - a sunny red-haired boy. Both friends suspect their wives of cheating.
Time confirms the unusual nature of both children: in Ivan’s calm family, son Victor grows up wild, like a horseman. He is attracted by the expanses of the steppe and wild horses. Not having time to finish school, he runs away from his home to the mountains, to the herdsmen. Meanwhile, Assan’s son, the handsome Ilim, is passionate about computers and sees his future not in living in the village and “rummaging through manure,” but in going to university and striving for a civilized life.
Both Ivan and Assan, trying to find out the secret of their origin, each go on a journey to find the truth.
They will return as completely different people...