In the midst of the August events in Ukraine in 1991, thirteen-year-old Nikita goes with her mother and younger brother to a home for an uncle's grandfather - to perpetuate the memory of his stepfather, who died in Afghanistan. Nikita learns that a mother who works in a mine is terminally ill and the purpose of their visit is to ask her unmarried family for adoption. While in one part of the country declaring independence, in the fires of eastern Ukraine, Nikita is doing her best to stay in a wealthy family and ready to kill an eight-year-old brother who sees a competitor.