The story of the difficult sporting path of a young collective farmer Ilya Gromov - from a self-taught fighter to a world champion. At the village amateurs' competitions he had no equal, but in big sports he is not even a "first grader" yet. Ilya has to go through a serious school - not only in wrestling, but also in life. The novice athlete is taught by the wise coach Fyodor Bessonov, a student of Poddubniy himself. Under his leadership, experiencing many defeats and mistakes, Ilya prepares for the all-Union championship, and then for the world championship.