The plot of the film is based on the story "Khaaiyylaakh" by V. Seroshevsky.  In tsarist times, distant Yakutia was a country of prisons and exile, as they say, a prison without bars. No shackles, no chains, no casemates were needed. The harsh climate, the endless taiga, and the huge distance from populated areas were kept better than any bars. The exiles were kept at the expense of Yakut families, they were called settlers (neighbors). Different people came across among them. Settlers with a criminal past disregarded the customs and traditions of indigenous peoples, causing fear and horror in their hearts.