Film's Description

Two lives, two destinies, two different generations: Mikhail Trukhanov, an old priest who spent 16 years in a labor camp under conviction of “reading prohibited religious books”, and Fyodor Bokaryov, by accident brought to prison and later a ward assistant at the hospital and a student aiming to become an emergency room doctor. The film is built on these two stories that come together one day, a sort of spiritual legacy from a great Christian to the following generation, for the future development of Christian life in Russia.

Mikhail was studying to become an astronomer and never had the idea to follow the steps of his father, who was an Orthodox priest. After his father was arrested and died at the Kolyma Camp, Mikhail started to live a Christian life, studying the Holy Scripture in a group that he himself founded. This activity led soon to the arrest of the other participants.

Mikhail tells us about his experiences in the camp, where they tried several times to recruit him as an informer for the KGB, without any success. Even when moved to a penal colony, his intellectual capabilities and prayers helped him to stay alive there for 16 years. From this experience he made the decision to become a priest.

Fyodor Bokarev practiced his faith since his childhood. In the defense of a younger child, he got into a fight and was imprisoned for hitting the son of the ambassador of an allied country. His parents were only allowed to see him in court and were not permitted to talk with him. He himself accepted the experience as an expression of the will of God. Fyodor, after serving his sentence, started to study at medical school and met Mikhail, whom he considered from that moment on his spiritual guide and father.