On the 75th anniversary of the execution of Isaac Babel, his grandson Andrew travels to places closely related to his grandfather's life. He finds traces of a tumultuous history echoing in Babel's writings and in contemporary Ukraine and Russia. With each stop, Andrew becomes closer to the complex stories with hidden content that Babel wrote. Finally, after candid interviews and a study of the Babel case at the NKVC, Andrew learns of his grandfather's arrest, torture and death.

Babel's life story and his work are intertwined with Andrew's quest and casual animation, which brings viewers into the world between reality and fantasy, as does Babel's works.