At the site where Mikhail Sveshnev was working, the roof collapsed, crushing one of the miners. At the risk of his life, Mikhail saved his comrade, but the foreman lied to Sveshnev and blamed him for the accident. The commission identified the true culprits of the accident, but Mikhail, feeling alienated by the team, left for home. Thinking about what had happened and failing to find a job to his liking, he returned to the mine.