Sergeant Shlykov is training young men he will have to fight alongside in Afghanistan. He is meticulous and strict, because he knows that in war, any small detail can cost a life. On his first combat mission to defuse a mine, the sergeant, unwilling to put a young soldier in danger, sends him to get water. Shlykov is killed by a Dushman lying in ambush — and the guys suffer their first combat loss, which is impossible to come to terms with.