Uzbekistan in the 1920s: Bolshevik commander Maksumov returns to the Uchkurgan settlement after spending a few days in the regional capital. He finds the place devastated and depopulated. His opponent, Khairulla, a leader of the anti-Soviet fighters known as Basmachi, has not only defeated the Red Army troops but also convinced more than a hundred of them to switch sides. Maksumov decides to go to the lion’s den on his own in order to confront the enemy, so he joins a caravan on its way to the Basmachi camp. Later in pursuit of his enemy, Maksumov chases Khairulla across a river. He has only one bullet left – the seventh, and he must not miss his target.