2 brothers, Chuk and Gek, have a father who is part of a scientific expedition in the Arctic. A dedicated worker who is unable to take a break to visit his family back in Moscow, the father requests permission to invite his wife and the boys to visit him. The father sends a telegram asking them to postpone the trip for 2 weeks because of a field trip, but the boys forget to tell their mother. When they arrive in the Arctic, the father is off on assignment, and the boys and their mother are left to fend largely for themselves until the father returns.