The train goes to Moscow. In the same carriage with the railway workers who are going to the meeting, there is a Chinese writer collecting material for his future novel about the people of Soviet Kazakhstan. He discovers an old newspaper in his archive. The newspaper contains photos of the best drummers — builders of Turksib: Ospan, Hakim, Boris, Hadisha and others. They turn out to be the writer's neighbors on the car — yesterday's ordinary workers, builders, now the most prominent statesmen, heads of railways. At the request of the writer, Ospan tells a touching story of their life and love.