The Silk Road once ran through the Kirghiz Steppe, now divided by a railway line. The express trains passing through fascinate the children from a remote village, who dream that one day they will be taken off to a wonderful place…. A small drama involving a random group of passengers unfolds in one of the express trains – the symbols of a coveted civilised life. An artist, returning home after many years, sketches their faces. He is particularly taken with the daughter of an older woman who is being coarsely treated by her former husband, a deposed bigwig. A waitress seeks prosperous clients among the passengers. The guard is pleased when he meets someone from his own region. The sound of singing and guitar strumming issues from one of the compartments, in another a band of desperados offend the principled artist and finally throw him off the train. The artist is approached by the leader of the group of children who tags along with him as he heads off towards the horizon. The other children return to the Steppe, to the hills and the grazing sheep.