| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Vasiliy Shukshin | ... | Pyotr Lopakhin | |
| Vyacheslav Tikhonov | ... | Nikolay Streltsov | |
| Sergey Bondarchuk | ... | Ivan Zvyagintsev | |
| Georgiy Burkov | ... | Aleksandr Kopytovskij | |
| Yuriy Nikulin | ... | Nekrasov | |
| Ivan Lapikov | ... | starshina Poprischenko | |
| Nikolay Gubenko | ... | Lieutenant Goloshchyokov | |
| Andrey Rostotskiy | ... | eferytor Kochetygov | |
| Nikolay Volkov | ... | ryadovoy Nikiforov | |
| Nikolay Shutko | ... | povar Petro Lisichenko | |
| Evgeniy Samoylov | ... | Marchenko | |
| Nonna Mordyukova | ... | Natalya Stepanovna | |
| Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy | ... | Vrach-khirurg | |
| Angelina Stepanova | ... | Staraya kazachka | |
| Irina Skobtseva | ... | Polkovoy vrach | |
In July 1942, in the Second World War, the rearguard of the Red army protects the bridgehead of the Don River against the German army while the retreating soviet troops cross the bridge. While they move back to the Russian territory through the countryside, the soldiers show their companionship, sentiments, fears and heroism to defend their motherland. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Not about the global war, the real war occurs inside each person. Sergey Bondarchuk show us a simple way of connecting with all cast. The usual hero war actor is replacing with a real soldier who have fears, willings, and hope. Your feels are honest and always survive the love for your motherland.