Edigey, a storm-tossed man, works at a railway siding lost in the endless steppes. When his friend Kazangap dies, his fellow villagers want to bury him in an ancient cemetery steeped in legend. According to steppe customs, the funeral must take place on the same day. However, the realities of the new century prevent this tribute to eternity: a cosmodrome is now being built where the ashes of their ancestors rested... Chingiz Aitmatov's prose is a conscience-stirring voice of eternal truths, to which humanity is always drawn, but which it does not always adhere. A classic of Russian and Kyrgyz literature, whose work has repeatedly received prizes and awards, Aitmatov gained recognition from his contemporaries even before the publication of his first novel—he was beloved for his parable stories 'The White Steamship,' 'The Piebald Dog Running Along the Edge of the Sea,' and 'Farewell, Gulsary!' But the publication of the novel 'And the Day Lasts Longer Than a Hundred...' (also known as 'The Stormy Halt,' 1980) created a sensation among the reading public. Stylistically close to magical realism, the novel immerses the reader simultaneously in the difficult times of 'building socialism,' in ancient myths, and in a fantastical future promising an encounter with extraterrestrial intelligence.