Zhizn razvivaetsya slozhnymi putyami - chto u prostyh lyudey, takih, kak semi Ivana Sayapina i Tszin, chto u «nebozhiteley», takih, kak Stalin i Trotskiy, Chan Kayshi i Mao Tszedun. Oni - deti svoih narodov, ih sudby perepleteny, kak perepleteny istorii ih rodnyh stran, kotorym suzhdeno zhit ryadom, po-sosedski. Ivan i Tszin s detmi i vnukami cherez svoi poteri i otkrytiya proshli svoi tysyachi li ot blagoveschenskogo «utopleniya» do Parada Pobedy v Harbine, perezhili i bedy, i schastlivye momenty zhizni sosedey. Oni ne znayut, chto v buduschem ih zhdut kak novye ispytaniya - gorech ssor i rashozhdeniy, tak i novye obreteniya - radost ponimaniya i druzheskih obyatiy. Deviz: V odnom lesu dva tigra ne zhivut.