[2][3][4] The film shows how a once-close group of young friends confronts betrayal, forgiveness, and personal growth as they navigate the challenges of loyalty, principles, and family bonds during their formative years.
The factory director Vishnyakov is raising 13-year-old twins Marina and Valery along with their peer, Shura Badeykin, whose father died at the front and whose mother passed away from illness.
When his father, a devoted Communist and responsible figure, reprimands him and calls those who abandon their principles in the face of challenges cowards, Valery writes a request to be reinstated as a Pioneer.
As a result, Valery's application is rejected, leading him to insult Shura, calling him a traitor who repaid the Vishnyakov family’s kindness with betrayal.
Shura, now adopted by the Vishnyakov family, becomes the twins' foster brother, and Valery, having vowed to accept the truth without resentment, proudly dons his red Pioneer tie once more.