A stunning documentary account about the hero of the Great Patriotic War Aleksei Maresyev, a pilot who lost his legs but found the strength not only to return to a full life, but also to sit back at the controls of a fighter aircraft and fight the fascist invaders. In Boris Polevoy’s portrayal, the real Russian character is embodied— the character of a man who does not retreat before difficulties, capable of enormous courage—while at the same time not losing either kindness, or strength of spirit, or faith in the better.