Bakhyt Khadzhibaev

11-year-old Ilyas loses his parents too soon. Overnight, he and his sisters are sent to an orphanage - where kindness is rare and rules are strict. Growing up fast, facing down bullies, scraping for food, and protecting his sisters like a wolf guards its pack, Ilyas refuses to break. And through it all, he clings to the idea that family isn’t just blood; it’s who stands by you when the world turns its back.

The film is based on the events of 1992 that took place in Southern Kazakhstan, when prisoners who escaped during the transfer to Russia took a regular bus with passengers hostage. The best forces of Kazakhstan's national security and law enforcement were dispatched to rescue them.