Irina Plisko

When his father sells their baby camel Altynka, his mother, Mara, escapes to be find her calf. Her disappearance is a potential disaster for the family so eldest son, Bayir, takes off to retrieve her. What follows is part road movie, part coming-of-age as Bayr adventures across the Kalmyk steppe.

Three brothers were waiting for their father Olmes to return from the war, imagining him as a hero, like the former circus performer Anuar, who had actually fallen from grace and started stealing. When Olmes returned, the children were disappointed by his appearance, but during the kokpar game, he defeated Anuar, who was trying to cheat.

When his father sells their baby camel Altynka, his mother, Mara, escapes to be find her calf. Her disappearance is a potential disaster for the family so eldest son, Bayir, takes off to retrieve her. What follows is part road movie, part coming-of-age as Bayr adventures across the Kalmyk steppe.