Two works by the well-known children's author. The first story is about Valentina, a girl orphaned during World War II bombing of her city, the people who shelter her in a rural community, and her sometimes difficult transition into her new life. The second story is about Aniska, a girl who has lived all her life in the country and who loves nature. She befriends Svetlana, a girl from the city who is visiting her grandmother in Aniska's village.