Rubin was desperate to go to a city that was in chaos and strict supervision to buy opium to cure the rare disease of his father who could only be treated with opium.

SYNOPSIS:

(Spoiler Alert)

The story was happen a week before the first Bolshevik revolution failed. Rubin who lived with his father and 4-year-old brother had to be left for a few nights by his father because his father had to develop a strategy for the revolution which was the only way to escape the clutches of a tyrant. His father left them in the night. Rubin that were left with his little brother worried because his father had not returned until morning. At 9 am a close friend of his father took him home. Unfortunately, the disease of his father was recurrence. Rubin went to the barn in the back home and turn opium, the only drug that can make his father fall asleep in calm and get well was exhausted. He did not let Andrei, his father friend know, so he said that his father would be alright and his father just needed a rest. After helping Rubin to lay Rubin's father on the bed that were dilapidated and obsolete, Andrei asked for leave to them. When Andrei had left them, Rubin hesitated between looking for opium or keep caring his little brother and father. Rubin lamented not to tell it to Andrei. He thought that he should have explained it to Andrei and told him about his father condition and let him to take care his father and his brother. His father would die if he did not get opium. Finally Rubin decided to go to look for opium. He locked his house from the outside and pocketed the key. He also closed and locked the windows.

Shortly, Rubin had 4-hours journey from the suburbs of Moscow towards the urban area with a train that he entered quietly. For more than 4 hours Rubin hid by hanging under the wagon, a few inches from the rail. The train speed could make his body torn apart and destroyed, however those bad thing did not happen because he seldom ate, so his body was emaciated. Rubin was grateful that he had always starving so he became thin. He realized that there is an advantage because of his thin body. He could hide under a train safely despite his palm was bruising because of holding the iron for hours. When he arrived in the city, he walked to the place where he used to buy opium. Unfortunately the place had already sealed by the local police. Rubin saw the sellers of illicit drugs including Stanovik, opium seller was shot and dead in front of the people including children. Rubin was scared. He ran. People wondered why he ran. A policeman was intending to shoot Rubin but another policeman prevented him because he believes that Rubin was only bums and traumatized by public execution, he believed that Rubin was not involved of that case.

After that, Rubin spent the night in ruins of the clashes place between rebels and local police. At that time,many uprising had occurred in many areas including Moscow. Rubin could not fall asleep. Not only thinking about where he could find opium, Rubin also afraid that if he could get it and if he caught by the police, he might be shot dead. Finally,Rubin could not sleep all night long. He walked slowly with red eyes, Rubin noticed every people one by one to look for the trading of drugs because he was already know and familiar the codes of drugs transaction. He had looked the clock in the railway station. It was 9 am, it means that he had already left his father about 24 hours. His father condition must be getting worse because he must get opium less than 24 hours. He walked wobbly until he saw two men that looked suspicious. The two men went to a quiet place. A few moments later one of them left from the place with a satisfied smile. The other one appeared while put a money to his wallet.

Rubin ventured to approach the young man. He approached him with extreme fear. He was afraid that those men are the police that masqueraded to catch the drug users. When Rubi approached the man namely Kazan Laputa, Kazan smiled. He approached Rubin and immediately offered him some drugs. He knew he really needed it because Kazan saw Rubin fled in fear when there was a public execution. Although people thought that Rubin is one of the homeless people who had trauma because of the family was killed by a public execution, Kazan did not think like that. Rubin told about his father condition to Kazan. He told him seriously that he really needed opium. Kazan was set a high prices for his opium. Rubin’s money that will be used to his family supply for 4 months and it was gained by robbing the corrupt people were still less to pay the opium. Then Kazan offered him to sacrifice one foot or his two hands because besides working as a drugs seller, he was selling a meat of babies or children to make soup for increasing stamina. Kazan said that there was a Chinese merchant that were close to him and he became an illegal food vendors. Kazan usually helped him to kidnap the infants or homeless children.

Rubin actually really wanted to refuse it but if he ignored that, his father could die. Rubin had not made a decision yet but Rubin was given additional option by Kazan. Actually it was because of his own fault since he said that he left his 4 years old brother with his father. The additional option was he might not exchange the opium by his foot or hands, but he could exchange it with his brother. After having a dialogue with Kazan, he decided to sacrifice his right leg. He did not want to sacrifice his hands because his father wanted to see him to be a great writer someday who wrote a biography of Vladimir Lenin that he believed would be a great person in his country or even the world. Rubin’s father that had a dream to be a writer should throw away his dream because his three fingers cut off by pimps because he could not pay the cost of a woman lust. He did that because of his sexual desire, he felt alone after the suicidal of his wife because of their family economy.

Rubin actually was very proud of his feet as he was able to run very fast with that. He also had a dream to get an Olympic gold medal so that he can unite his country. However he could not sacrifice his little brother who did not know anything, broke his father dream and even let his father die. Finally, Kazan sawed Rubin legs slowly without anaesthetic. Rubin was trying not to scream as much as possible so no one know what they did. They did that in a manor house which has left by the owner. Rubin felt the extreme soreness. He only could wince as the tears fell down from his eyes. Finally he got the opium while Kazan got Rubin’s money and foot. Kazan promised to Rubin would come back with more bandages because the bandages to bind Rubin’s feet was not enough. He also promised to bring a stick so that Rubin could walk although not perfect. However Kazan did not come back again until morning. Rubin cried uncontrollably. He was afraid that if his beloved father was dead because he had been leaving him for 48 hours or 2 days. Finally his crying was heard by people.

Rubin explained what had happened to some citizens. Then people brought him to the police. However they begged to the police not to put him in the jail because they had sympathy to Rubin. They also proposed to take him home. They promised to the police that they would not to help the rebels as long as Rubin returned to his home and his father got proper treatment. If his father was dead, they begged to the police to bury him. The police agreed. Rubin were taken home with three police officers by train. In the train, he met a middle-aged woman, Leina who was his neighbor. Leina explained that Rubin’s house has been burned. She said that from the police inspection, there were burnt pot and stove and police concluded that the cause of the fire was from the water that was boiled overlong. It caused a fire. Rubin’s father and brother were killed and burnt inside the house. It was because of his house was locked by him. The people could not open the door because it was very difficult to crash it. It was because of a combination of the door that made from iron and the heat of the fire. At that time, Rubin remembered that he was boiling water when he left his house and had not to turn it off. He locked his father and his brother in the house because he believed that he could be back as soon as possible. Rubin was sobbing while he stared out the window of the train, he was lost not only a part but also the whole part of his life.