During the
Second World War, Estonia was
occupied by Nazi Germany, who drafted most of the men into the
German army, and then
occupied by the Soviet Union, who considered Estonians who had fought in the German army to be criminals. Following the war, the Soviets
incorporated Estonia into the
USSR. A young man, Endel Nelis, arrives in
Haapsalu in the early 1950s, having left
Leningrad to escape the
secret police. He finds work as a teacher and founds a
sports club for his students, where he starts teaching them his great passion – fencing. Disapproving, the school's principal starts investigating Endel's background. Meanwhile, Endel's Russian friend (and coach) Aleksei warns him not to return to Leningrad under any circumstances. Fencing becomes a form of self-expression for the children, and Endel becomes a role model and father figure. He learns to love the children, many of whom had been orphaned by the war. When the children want to participate in a national fencing tournament in Leningrad, Endel must make a choice; risk everything to take the children to Leningrad or put his safety first and disappoint them. ==Cast==