Fifteen-year-old Vaska boards the rescue tugboat Kola with the goal of reaching Murmansk. Onboard, he encounters the gruff but respected boatswain, Rosomakha Boris Andreyev, whom Vaska quickly admires. A playful rivalry soon surfaces between Rosomakha and helmsman Marat Chepin Valentin Nikulin over a tense table football match, with Vaska staunchly siding with Rosomakha and cheering his victory. Yet Vaska’s curiosity and eagerness to tinker with machinery lead to a string of mishaps: a flood in the first officer’s cabin and a clumsy fall overboard. Rosomakha acts quickly, pulling him from the cold water, and though the captain weighs a harsher punishment, Vaska is allowed to stay on as an apprentice mechanic, his hands now steadier and his ambition clearer.
The Kola sets off on a demanding mission to salvage the WWII-damaged ship Polotsk, an assignment that tests seamanship, nerve, and camaraderie under pressure. Before departure, Rosomakha has a chance encounter with Maria Lyubov Sokolova, a former colleague who reveals she has a son, Andrey, who might be his. The revelation tugs at Rosomakha’s conscience, dredging up memories he has tried to bury, and his attempts at reconciliation with Maria are bittersweet and incomplete, leaving a trace of what might have been hovering in the wake of the ship.
As the Polotsk looms on the horizon, the crew—Vaska, Chepin, and Bruno—board the battered vessel to prepare it for towing. Leaks, pump failures, and the ever-present threat of the sea push the team to the limits as they battle to keep the Polotsk afloat. In a rare moment of quiet amid the chaos, Rosomakha shares a bond with Vaska, promising that he will introduce him to his son when they safely return to Murmansk, a vow that lends the mission a personal, almost tethered hope.
The tension peaks when the Kola receives an emergency call from the freighter Odessa, adrift and bearing down on dangerous reefs. The captain makes the heart-wrenching decision to abandon the Polotsk to save the Odessa, but Rosomakha hesitates, unwilling to sacrifice the crew he has sworn to protect. A heated debate erupts among the crew, forcing each man to weigh loyalty against duty, risk against life. In a sharp, simple retort that cuts to the core, Vaska states, "I wouldn’t want a father like that." The words land with a force that moves Rosomakha to action.
Moved by the boy’s clarity and the weight of their responsibilities, Rosomakha heroically cuts the towline and drives the Kola toward the Odessa’s perilous path. The Polotsk succumbs to the relentless storm, breaking apart while the survivors cling to the wreckage. Rosomakha ensures their safety one last time before he succumbs to his injuries, leaving behind a legacy etched in the minds of those he saved. His selflessness and courage elevate him from a skilled boatswain to a true maritime hero, shaping the crew’s memories and honoring the risk-filled life they shared at sea.
