In post WWII Russia one boy dares to save an entire race of outlawed dogs -- the German shepherdWorld War II has just ended when thirteen-year-old Mikhail finds a dying man and his German shepherd Zasha in the woods Its dangerous -- some say traitorous -- to own a German dog after Germany attacked Russia so Mikhail must keep Zasha a secret to keep her aliveBut Mikhails rival Katia is determined to find the dog she is sure hes hiding At the same time a soldier named Dimitri is breeding a new Russian dog at a nearby farm So many dogs were lost in combat to starvation and in the slaughter of German dogs that the country is in dire need of every kind of dog
