Timofey Dmitrienko

Immortalised as one of the most scintillating and uplifting Christmas songs, 'Carol of the Bells' adapted from a popular and loved Ukrainian folk melody, came to represent the spirit of brotherhood and unity all over the world. The peaceful and neighbourly existence of three families, Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish, sharing a large house, musical evenings and merriment in the city of Stanislaviv in the years preceding and post war, is shattered. First in the Soviet occupation and the persecution of the Polish family, then, by the Nazi occupation of Ukraine, and the decimation of the Jewish family. Sacrificing their lives the Ukrainian family manage to save their neighbours' children and their own daughter. Death and loss come to these families, but the healing power and joy , and a promise that the Future Will Not be Cancelled which "Carol of the Bells' evokes will be everlasting.

Kolya is 8 years old. He lives in a troubled family: exhausted by his daily routine, his mother abuses alcohol and is prone to nervous breakdowns; stepfather allows himself domestic violence. In addition to Kolya’s family, he has a friend, Misha, and their common hiding place – a field where you can hang out and lie in the fragrant grass, dream of another life and make wishes while planes land nearby. Kolya’s main dream is that his mother would stop drinking.