The story of a gang of children growing up in a community of banished criminals, in a forgotten corner of the former Soviet Union. This community rejects the world outside; the only law it obeys is its own. Against this backdrop two best friends, Kolyma and Gagarin, gradually become fierce enemies as they find themselves on opposite sides of the strict code of honour of the 'honest criminal' brotherhood.
In a ghetto run by a clan of outlaw gangs, the head preaches an "education" of mastering the illegal arts such as theft and banditry; while keeping a stringent code of honor that is considered ethical and moral and must never be broken.