This novel tells the story of an unwanted baby boy, left by his parents, during the period of world war one and the years of russian civil war. First in an orphanage and then adopted by a charitable woman, he experiences terrible deprivation and abuses, he witnesses atrocities occured in a chaotic surrounding. After being adopted by a loving family and living in comfort, he is eager to find his biological parents and his true identity. Disappointed, he has to face an unknown destiny.