May 1945, Lithuania. World War II ends. However, Sakalas, the commander of the Lithuanian armed resistance unit, is convinced that it is too early to celebrate the victory of the Lithuanians. After all, with the defeat of Nazi Germany, the state independence of Lithuania was not restored. The territory is again controlled by the Soviet authorities. Instead of liberation and freedom, it brought terror, repression, violence. Lithuanian villages are forced to feed the occupying army. \"Forest brothers\" is the name of the partisans who became the regular army of the underground Lithuanian state. The heroes of the novel, Sakalas, Lyutas, Tarzanas, Azhuolas, Sharunas and the Ukrainian Ivan Martyniuk, called Jonas, present to the readers a collective portrait of the rebels who challenged the Russian occupation authorities. They prove time and time again: the all-powerful Soviet state security can be powerless on foreign land...