Alexei interacts with family members, workers of his grandfather's dye factory and local orphan children, all of which impact him.

Back at the house, the family celebrates Varvara's return and both Grandmother Akulina and Vanya the gypsy apprentice who works in grandfather's clothing dye shop engage in lovely Russian folk dances.

A fight breaks out when Alexei's uncles Mikhail and Yakov argue with their father over division of the dye shop.

An avid reader, he encourages Alexei to learn to write so he can record his grandmother's stories which he describes as quintessentially Russian.

He makes friends with the poorer kids in town and also Alexei, a paralyzed boy who keeps pet insects to maintain a window to the outside world.

Alexei is impressed at his namesake's positive attitude and gives him his pet mouse to add to his collection.

Varvara returns with a fiancé and tells Alexei that after she is married in Moscow, she will bring him to live with her for good so he can go to school.

Alexei begins earning money by sifting through garbage dumps with his friends looking for metal and rags to sell.

Alexei marches off into an open field and waves to friends as he leaves to start his own new life.

It takes into consideration that the autobiography was written by an adult and uses the children to help create “witness” which allows for the spectators to view the film with the Soviet interpretation.

Even with the tweaks that the producer made, the film is based on events that Maxim Gorky wrote about in his autobiography.

[6] The film is presented with multiple mini storylines compared to a single story that describes Maxim's childhood.

1961)" [8] An article in 2012 mentions the creation of the film along with Happiness and The Heir to Genghis Khan were made with annotations.

[9] The film was created after the death of one of Soviets most celebrated novelist Maxim Gorky and based on his autobiography.