About the book: 1963 / The Great Patriotic War. From a small Trans-Baikal village on the Chaldonka River, men go to the front one after another. But life doesn’t stop; day and night, until the freeze-up, the dredges pan for gold; hunters do not leave the taiga for months. Women and teenagers replaced husbands, fathers and brothers. However, working to win is not enough for two school friends - Dimka and Venka. They want to fight the Nazis themselves and decide to flee to the front. This story, written by the famous children's writer Oscar Adolfovich Khavkin, tells about their adventures and other events in the taiga village, about friendship and courage..