USSR, Thaw, 1956... While the big cities are building a bright communist future, in the provinces a real struggle for survival against hunger, cold, and the harsh realities of simple life still rages.

In a Vologda village, after her father leaves the family, a girl named Nina is forced to grow up too early. Every day becomes a test of strength and fortitude in an attempt to protect her family from an enemy that has gotten too close to her home. Meanwhile, in the endless steppes of Kazakhstan, a boy named Vitya, whose dreams of a life full of heroism and courage are shattered by chance, faces a difficult choice between the grueling work of an auto mechanic and the dangerous temptations of the criminal world.

Break or stand firm? Submit to circumstances or choose your own bright future?

'The Bitter Taste of Salt' is a vivid and profound portrait of the era, a psychological novel about people whose destinies were forged in the fire of post-war trials. This is a story of inner struggle and the quiet exploits of ordinary heroes whose feelings, fears, and hopes remained in the shadows, yet they shaped the country's image.