Alka is sixteen. His teachers, acquaintances, and even his coach—a young and beautiful gymnast—have gone to the front. So he figures he belongs at the front too. After procuring ill-fitting clothes at the market, he sneaks onto a military train. Alka is no longer afraid of war; he comes from besieged Leningrad and has seen it all. He is afraid that they won't let him fight. For middle school students.
