The film tells about the history of the title "Hero of the Soviet Union", which existed from 1934 to 1991. During this period, about 12,700 people became heroes. The film tells about the first heroes of the Soviet Union, the pilots who saved the Chelyuskinites; the Estonian Arnold Meri, who received the title in the hardest summer of 1941; about the only woman tanker Marina Oktyabrskaya. But along with the heroic pages of the history of the title, the film does not ignore the negative side. For the first time, the truth is told about 28 Panfilov heroes and two Vlasov heroes, as well as the unique story of the impostor hero Valentin Purgin.