Yakutia, 60s. The little boy Vanya returns home after six years he spent in the hospital, where he was hospitalized with a spinal injury he accidently got when he was a baby.
Vanya still can't walk, but little by little he is trying to stand on crutches and take steps by himself. He is encouraged in his attempts by mother, who believes that Vanya will definitely be able to walk.
However, the happiness of the reunited family doesn't last long as the mother dies during childbirth, and little Vanya becomes an orphan, barely having time to feel the warmth of his mother's love.
The father, Ion, trying to console the children, tells them story about a distant wonderland where the Siberian white cranes inhabit. He convinces boys that their mother has turned into one of these beautiful and sacred birds. From that moment on, Vanya has a dream of seeing the rare dance of the white cranes and meet the mother, who has been reborn as a bird.