V.Kaverinbookisan autobiographicalstory, dedicated tochildhoodand adolescence of the author.Eventsincludethe author'slifefrom the early yearsof this centuryuntil the end ofthe Civil War. The book describes thefirst literaryexperimentsof the futureauthor of the novels"Two Captains", "Wishes come true," "Before the Mirror",novellas and short stories.