That night, Pyotr Andreyevich struggled with sharp radiculitis pain, relieved only by an ointment from his neighbor, Agafya Vasilyevna. By morning, he got up and cared for Kamal, a dog he had rescued from a predator’s attack a year earlier. Kamal had become his loyal companion, easing the loneliness after his wife’s death and his daughter Nadya’s departure to the city.

Pyotr’s life changed when he agreed to mentor Timur, a young man recently released from prison, through a social assistance program. Though Timur was quiet at first, Pyotr gradually involved him in his forest work, and Kamal grew fond of him. Their small group found rhythm and companionship in the quiet wilderness.

One winter morning, Kamal alerted them to a trapped she-wolf caught in a poacher’s cruel snare. Pyotr carefully freed the injured animal and, with Agafya’s help, nursed her back to health. They named her Rama, and though she adapted well, Pyotr knew the time would soon come to let her return to the wild.

Two weeks later, the village was shaken when the poacher Makarov lost his daughter Veronica, who had long ago left for the city and a wealthy marriage. Her story intertwined with the harsh realities faced by the villagers, a reminder of the pain beneath the quiet forest life. Pyotr’s world, though lonely, was full of small hopes and deep connections.