The film tells about the fate of a little boy Pylypko. In the hungry winter of 1932-1933, his mother died. The boy is taken away by his uncle, but Pylypko runs away from his house in search of his mother. He got lost in the woods and almost froze. The child is saved from death by two monks and taken to a monastery. There he learned to paint icons and proved to be a very capable artist. Later a Frenchman came to the monastery. His young daughter is very ill, and the boy sincerely wishes her recov...