Little Boris, a Sergeant

In a Byelorussian village the German soldiers massacred all the family except for a small boy who was shut in a metal barrel and sent down the river. Fortunately his moaning is overheard by soldiers of the Red Army and soldier Aljoša in a heavy firing draws the barrel near to the bank. Miserable Borisek, after recovery, becomes a regular member of the medical military service and attains the rank of younger sergeant. He selflessly takes care of the wounded and thus one day, in the middle of fight, draws back to the shelter the soldier Jaroslav Lukáš from the Czechoslovak armycorps. He dresses his wound and Jaroslav tells him about his widowed mother and asks him to give her his locket in case he would die. In following fight which breaks out in the morning both Lukáš and Aljoša perish and Borisek himself is seriously wounded. He undergoes medical treatment in military hospital and learns Czech from the Czech soldier František. The war ends for him in Bohemia where he is given three days leave to keep the promise. In Vysoká Hora he finds the old ill Mrs Lukášová but has not courage enough to tell her about her son's death. Borisek lives with her, makes friends with local children and after many years he again plays games. But in the last evening Mrs Lukášová finds the locket in Borisek's blouse which she wanted to wash up. The boy tries to console the crying woman and instinctively addresses her as mother. The following day they photograph themselves, then Borisek returns to his troop and the children and the old lady see him off.