The film tells the story of the heroic resistance of the Podolsk military cadets outside Moscow in October 1941. The cadets of the Podolsk Infantry and Artillery School were sent to the Ilinsky Line to fight alongside the troops of the Soviet 43rd Army to stop the German advance until reinforcements arrived. Outnumbered, these young men, still only in their teens, gave their lives in a battle that lasted nearly two weeks to stop the far superior German forces from advancing towards Moscow. This film is not only about war. It is also about love, true friendship, and the path from childhood to adulthood. Some 3,500 cadets and their commanders were sent to hold the last line of defense outside Moscow. Most of them stayed there forever.