Solntse Na Vkus. 2023

Grandfather mumbles to himself while carefully digging through a tree, and stumbles on what appears to be a muddy stone. He hurries back to his workshop to clean it up and inspect it. He realizes that the stone is an ancient medallion and it flickers as light shines on it.

Meanwhile, Timur, a twelve-year-old boy from Moscow, is talking to his friend and is trying to strike a deal with him about buying a Rubik’s cube. In the gym, Timur is playing basketball and tells another boy about how life works as a game, and all you need is to understand it to win. He says all this in an attempt to market a toy he wants to sell.

Timur tries to explain how a toy set can help him achieve his dreams, but he’s suddenly cut off. Meanwhile, Timur’s father speaks to the principal in his office. His wife comes in, and they begin the meeting. The principal informs the parents that their son is going around the school and selling toys to the kids. While trying to explain the situation, the parents become stressed and have a brief argument with each other.

The principal then tries making a suggestion but gets interrupted by Mother, who threatens to divorce Father. She quickly saves the day by suggesting that they take the summer off and rest together. Father remembers that his father’s birthday is coming up.

The principal approves and says visiting him is an excellent idea. Later on, the duo seems to agree as they board a flight from Uzbekistan to Tashkent, where Grandfather lives. At the airport, Timur’s dad signs the form to retrieve his imported car. The family loads up the car, and they all make their way to  Grandfather’s place.

In the car, Timur’s parents begin arguing about finances, and Timur drops a suggestion that he can help make money, but his parents decline. Timur then asks who he’ll have to live with if they get divorced, and they realize that he might have heard their argument in the principal’s office. When they arrive, Father and Mother rush out of the car to exchange greetings with Grandfather.

Later in the backyard, Grandfather is cooking, and he tells Timur that he can have some food that’s on the table. Timur asks him if he ever gets lonely as he’s all by himself. Grandfather says he doesn’t get lonely because his chickens, turkeys, and pet donkey keep him happy.

This isn’t what Timur means by loneliness, but Grandfather rushes inside to get some ingredients for the food he’s cooking. Mother prevents him from entering, saying there’s a surprise and she will bring everything out for him. They come out shortly after and surprise him with a cake while also singing for him. They ask that he make a wish before surprising him with a gift, which he reveals is a smartphone.

Father explains that Grandfather can use the phone to communicate with them regardless of where he is or what the time is. Grandfather is happy that he has access to the internet and speaks on how he’ll check out their online store. Father suggests that they all have tea in a bid to cut him off. Not long after, Grandfather receives lessons from Timur on how to adjust his phone’s brightness and how to customize its background and fonts. He takes his lessons seriously as he’s very interested in learning to use the phone.

That night, Timur stares into space as he’s still awake and can hear his parent’s discussion on how they’re exhausted. He then sees Grandfather moving to his workshop. Curious to know what he’s doing, Timur sneaks out of the window after Father leaves the kitchen, where he was just discussing with Mother.

He arrives at Grandfather’s workshop and rummages around while trying to find new things. His attention is suddenly drawn to a medallion that’s in a box. Seeing that it seems like a labyrinth, Timur pulls out his phone and uses the picture and voice assistant to find similar images of it online. The phone’s volume is high, and the noise attracts Grandfather’s attention towards his position.

He asks Timur what’s going on and who he’s talking to. Timur tries explaining what he’s doing, but Grandfather is left confused. While all this is happening, Father looks at a picture of a much younger Timur. He goes through some documents in a locker and finds his old Rubik’s cube. This puts a smile on his face as he stares at a family picture. He then begins solving the cube while happy.

Meanwhile, Timur and Grandfather are on their way to a bench when Timur’s phone’s AI gives a description of what the item is. It also finds a similar image on a website written by a historian named Fahard Sedovich. It states that the item is part of a personal collection belonging to the last Emir of Bukhara Emirate, Mohammed Alimkhan, and this piece is part of the missing treasures of Alimkhan.

Timur sees that the item is extremely valuable and will fetch them a huge amount of money if they sell it. He realizes that he needs to verify that it’s legitimate and exactly what it’s worth so he doesn’t get cheated by the antique dealers. He asks Grandfather where he finds such items, and Grandfather says it’s from a site close to his garden. Grandfather was mostly troubled by what was troubling Timur’s parents.

Timur sits down and quickly changes the conversation. He speaks on how they’ll have to go to Tashkent the following morning to meet the historian, Fahard, who is having an autograph session on the release of his new book. He’s their best shot at finding out the artifact’s true price before they can go to the antique buyers. Grandfather says he’s against Timur’s idea and goes to bed as he says he won’t be a part of it.

Timur wishes him a happy birthday and makes his way towards the donkey. He apologizes for once calling it names and attaches a saddle to it. His idea is to use the donkey to go to the station and then return in the evening.

On his way, he talks about how his parents will divorce and probably shut down their online store. It’s impossible to run the store without start-up capital anyway. That’s why he wants to sell the artifact and fix everything that’s wrong with his family.

In the morning, Grandfather wakes up and sees the message Timur left. Meanwhile, Timur makes his way to the station on the donkey with an assist from the AI. He finally arrives and gives the donkey a treat, thanking it before instructing it to return home. He then makes his way to the train before it leaves.

Inside the train, Timur records a video but is suddenly startled by Grandfather’s voice and drops his phone. His grandfather is happy to see him and informs him that they will go together. He mentions that there have been persistent rumors of the existence of Alimkhan’s servants.

Back at home, Timur’s mother finds a note that states, “left on a business trip in Tashkent.” It asks that they don’t worry as he’ll return soon. She panics because of this and is also worried because he doesn’t answer his phone. She is unaware that he can’t answer his phone because it fell out of the train.

At the train station, Timur and Grandfather get down and go into the city. Timur suggests that they go in a certain direction, but Grandfather recalls the times he spent with his wife. He is suddenly snapped back into reality as Timur gets his attention.

While walking aimlessly, Grandfather decides to ask for directions towards the House of Knowledge, and the man tells them to go straight. When they get there, Gulya is giving a presentation. She talks about Ulugh Beg, who possesses the watch of the sages, an item that allows him to be present at any time and place. Legend has it that he could be among them even as they speak.

She is cut off shortly after Grandfather knocks over some books. They apologize and take their seat. She states that he created the mirage space in the likeness of the city of jars. To get into the space, you need to go through the gates, and the watch of sages will be there to grant you access.

Fahard interrupts by asking her whether there is any specific procedure regarding her presentation. She responds by saying that there is a step-by-step process that will lead to the watch of the sages. For instance, one of the keys is a Sextant, but not everything is clear to her yet. She stated the purpose of the sextant is obviously to indicate where to move as well as the chronometer, which indicates the exact time of entry.

Fahard asks her where, and she says it’s in the mirage, but the keys are not enough. She feels as though there is still one more key. Fahard has a proud look on his face as he signals his assistant to tell her to end her presentation. Before leaving, she tells the audience to be sure to visit the Eastern part of the building if they need more info or want to see the chronometer.

Somewhere else in the building is a man explaining several of the antiques, and when he tells them to move to the next section, a mysterious figure moves around. This person happens to be a thief. The alarms ring, and then they discover an item is missing. After some parkour moves from the thief, the guards give up, and the boy escapes.

Later on, Timur and Grandfather walk up to Fahard after waiting in the queue and ask how much he thinks the item will be worth. He tells Fahard that he found it on Fahard’s website and has come to meet him in person. Fahard then asks who found it, and Timur says it is his Grandfather. Fahard brings out a notebook and writes the price he can offer immediately but gets interrupted by Gulya, who claims it is priceless.

She states the details of it, which looks like a labyrinth, and also explains how it is a puzzle. According to her, it is one of the world’s lost treasures. Timur takes permission from Fahard and steps away with Gulya while Fahard offers Grandfather a bottle of water. Timur signals Grandfather so they can exit, and when they leave, Fahard looks at them with strange eyes.

At a private sector in the building, Gulya distracts the clerk using a phone call and she leaves her position. She, Timur, and Grandfather sneak into the backroom. Gulya then takes the keys from the clerk’s desk and opens the door for them to proceed. It turns out the room is filled with documents relating to the fall of the Bukhara Emirate.

She instructs them to stand still, and as they wait, a man suddenly walks past, but luckily, he doesn’t notice them. Gulya then comes out of the room with a letter from the servants of Alimkhan. She reads the letter, and it seems to be talking about waiting for their lord.

Suddenly, Timur notices the picture in the letter rhymes with the puzzle in his possession. This gives the gang the mindset that they could be on to something really big. On the other hand, the thief shows up again.

Back at home, Timur’s parents are contemplating, but the dad’s focus is on a Rubik’s cube. The donkey returns home, and Father explains that he and Grandfather could ride it into the town, and it could come home on its own.

Meanwhile, Gulya finds another book in the House of Knowledge, and it explains that “light Zuh” appears to represent September 1920, when the empire fell. She begins piecing things together and realizes that Alimkhan had sent a caravan and faithful servants, accompanied by a Vizier, to Samarkand with the great treasure before the empire fell. The book shows proof of the existence of the lost treasures of Alimkhan.

And then, suddenly, the lights go off, prompting Gulya to turn on a flashlight. She suddenly points the flashlight at the thief’s face and screams, dropping the phone on the ground. The light comes back on, and the clerk comes into the room while asking who they are. Grandfather’s clever thinking gets them out of the situation as they make their way out of the room.

Back outside, Timur and his Grandfather go to get something to eat, and they have a little conversation. Grandfather suddenly asks for the shop owner’s phone so he can place a call home, but the line he tries to call is not available. The thief continues lurking around while slowly following them.

On the train heading to Samarkand, Grandfather recalls his time with his wife before Gulya suddenly walks in. She asks if they think they’ll discover a new treasure without her. Grandfather asks where her parents are, and she dodges the question by saying knowing their location won’t make a difference because they’re in the excavation site in Sogdiana. Timur is happy that Gulya is following them on this adventure. Still, Grandfather opposes the idea, leaving Timur hurt, and he leaves. Gulya excuses herself and goes after him.

Back at the train station, Timur’s parents arrive and separately search the premises for Timur and Grandfather, but they don’t find them. The couple rushes to the nearest police station. At the station, the security guard from the first incident is reporting his case, detailing how they were forced to move from roof to roof, chasing after the thief.

The security guard is already excusing himself when the couple barges into the room to lay their complaints. They inform the police that their son and his grandfather are missing. Back on the train, Timur tells Gulya that Grandfather doesn’t understand their situation, and she decides to have the conversation over tea so they can seal their deal.

When Gulya leaves to pay the bill, the thief passes by and steals for them while they’re clueless about what just happened. The thief then strolls by a cabin and sees a bag that’s close to Grandfather. He stares at the bag as though it is his next target. Back at the police station, Timur’s parents view footage of what happened earlier that day.

The couple draws the officer’s attention once they spot Timur and Grandfather. They step out of the office shortly after, and Mother says she’s not leaving until she finds her son. Father corrects her, saying, “Our son,” and mentions how they can’t work on an empty stomach. Mother agrees after a brief silence, and they both leave to find what to eat, pausing their search until the following day.

The crew finally arrives in Samarkand, and Gulya suggests they go on an excursion to better understand their environment. The museum guide discusses the tomb of the Timurids upon entry. She speaks about where Ulugh Beg, the sultan of the Timurids, is buried.

Bored by what they are saying, Timur notices that Gulya is acting fishy and decides to follow her. When Grandfather is done talking to the guide, he comes to the realization that the kids are missing. The kids are at the tomb of Ulugh Beg, where Gulya decides to take charge.

She asks for the artifact and then places it on the tomb. The duo suddenly hears footsteps approaching, and as they’re about to escape the tomb, it suddenly lights up, revealing what seems to be a message. Gulya is shocked by what she sees and takes a picture of the displayed image. They rush and hide to avoid being spotted by the guards.

Upon reaching outside, they encounter Grandfather, who is very angry. Grandfather doesn’t care about the photo of the strange message and is more interested in them going home. Gulya says he can leave if he wants, but there’s somewhere else they have to go, being the observatory. Grandfather calls her while yelling that they must return to the station.

Meanwhile, Timur’s parents are on the street and get some food to eat. Mother continues trying to reach Timur but isn’t able to. Father, on the other hand, believes that his son has a plan. Mother suddenly lashes out because of how calm he is about the situation and how his approach to life remains strange even when things seem abnormal.

The crew arrives at the observatory, and Grandfather is confused as to why they’re there. Gulya searches for stars instead of searching for treasures. She explains that they need the device to find the stars that will enable them to search for the remaining paths that will lead to the treasure.

Some parts of the device are unfortunately buried underground. Gulya suddenly remembers that she still has the sextant. They can navigate the stars with their help but need to look at them correctly to understand where to move.

Back at the station, Timur’s parents reminisce on the day he took his first steps and how it happened at his grandfather’s house. Mother remains sad because she still doesn’t know the whereabouts of her son. They suddenly receive a picture from an officer who had previously taken their number.

The couple sees Timur in the picture and sees that he’s with the thief. They also realize that Timur is in Samarkand. The officer asks if they know anything about the other person in the photo, but they have no idea who he is. He then says he will get back to them when he gets more information.

Father turns on his car and says they’re going to Samarkand to find Timur. Meanwhile, Grandfather tries using the sextant to check the constellations. The thief looms behind them and gradually approaches. While Grandfather is giving Gulya the coordinates, she notices that they are leading to an island located in England.

Timur asks Grandfather if he’s intentionally giving the wrong coordinates so they can give up and return to the station. Grandfather mumbles in annoyance because his plan to have them return home has been foiled. He says they should go back to the station because they don’t have money to stay in a hotel. Gulya informs them that she knows a place where they can spend the night for free.

She takes them to a garden that has benches where they can sleep for free rather than paying for a hotel. The trio makes themselves comfortable, and Timur suggests that they search for Fahard the following morning since they’ll be late for the train. He then laments about his problems to Grandfather, who asks if it’s all about money.

Grandfather tells Timur his backstory and how he was evacuated a long time ago. The Tashkent family took him after finding him. They found him in a box car, where refugees are kept, and immediately pulled him out. Before this, when he was barely a year old, Grandfather’s mother died, but he miraculously survived.

He mentions how the family raised him alongside their own children and helped him get on his feet. Grandfather explains that they showed genuine love and happiness, and that’s what everything is about. He turns around to check on Timur and discovers that he’s already fast asleep.

Seeing this, Grandfather decides to go to bed. Unknown to him, Gulya listened to all he said and feels sad. Grandfather wakes up later that night and discovers that Gulya is missing. He hurriedly wakes Timur up, and Timur realizes that he’s no longer with the artifact, indicating that Gulya stole it.

Timur rushes to look for her without giving it a second thought. Gulya is walking on the road, and the thief spots her while on the rooftop. Timur confronts her as he asks what she’s doing and instructs that she return the artifact.

Gulya tries to make him understand that the artifact doesn’t only lead to treasures. She says she’s sure that it was passed on to servants by Alimakhan through inheritance, and Alimkhan instructed his people to find a place to hide it. Timur claims that the coordinates they have are wrong, but Gulya tells him that the paths truly exist and lead to the clock of the wise men.

Timur asks if it’s like a time machine, and Gulya says that it is, but no one believes her claims. Timur suddenly discusses his family problems and how he believes his parents will soon get a divorce. This will cause their business to collapse, and selling the artifact is the only way he can save their business. Feeling guilty, Gulya decides to return the artifact. Still, Timur asks her to hold on to it, saying they’ll be continuing their journey together.

Timur suddenly hears Grandfather’s scream and rushes to see what’s going on. He finds the thief dragging the bag from Grandfather and sprints into action as he pursues him. The thief, unfortunately, gets away, and Timur can’t find him.

Timur returns to the others, and Grandfather is happy that the bag was stolen. He believes the artifacts are still in the bag, and they can go home since everything was stolen. However, the thief didn’t steal everything, as Gulya was with the artifacts, meaning the thief didn’t steal anything. Grandfather gives up his hopes of returning home as going on the adventure is inevitable.

The thief returns to his employer, who is actually Fahard. He empties the stolen bag, but unfortunately, it contains only toys, and the artifacts are nowhere to be found. Provoked by this, Fahard decides to take matters into his own hands since his employee can’t get the job done. He asks the thief for the chronometer he stole from the museum and drives away as he collects it.

The following morning, Timur and his grandfather walk up to Gulya, who is sitting by the fountain. They offer her some food, and she thanks them for it. Gulya explains that she now understands why the previous coordinates were wrong.

She informs them that she was using the wrong reading system for the coordinates and decides to use a modern one. She uses the Greenwich reference points, and it turns out that the sextant points them to the Kalyan Minaret, which is located in the city of Bukhara. Timur is happy and then borrows her phone to call his parents. He informs them they’re going to Bukhara because they have something very important to do.

Gulya switches her phone off once Timur is done with the call. Grandfather gets angry after realizing that Timur knew his parent’s number the whole time. Meanwhile, his parents try calling back, but the call doesn’t go through, and they decide to make their way to Bukhara. Mother also gives the police the phone number.

Timur and Gulya wait by the road while Grandfather tries to get them a ride. A car pulls over eventually, and the driver turns out to be Fahard, who agrees to give them a ride. The car eventually ends up in a meadow, and Grandfather tries to replace the water in Fahard’s car. Inside the car, Fahard has a conversation with Timur, and Timur sees one of his toys. He tries to react, but Fahard pulls out a sword and points it at his neck.

Fahard instructs Timur to get out of the car, but Timur refuses. Gulya asks if he’s Alimkhan, but he says he isn’t. He reveals that he’s actually the Vizier who was sent initially, and they wonder how he ended up in their timeline. Fahard explains that Alimkhan entrusted him with the secrets of time travel, so he hid the treasure right next to the clock of the wise men, where no one will ever find it.

Gulya passes her phone to Timur while Fahard doesn’t notice, and Fahard kicks him out of the car. He drives away with Gulya still inside and intends to use her to get what he wants. Grandfather thinks there’s no way they can save her, but Timur realizes that the coordinates are on Gulya’s phone and says they must head to the city immediately. While this happens, the thief watches what happens from a rooftop and decides to follow them.

Fahard takes Gulya to a hill and threatens to kill her if she doesn’t hand over the artifact. She realizes she doesn’t have a choice and hands it over. Fahard then explains that his goal is to go back to his timeline, and the city of Bukhara will become the capital of his new world. He intends to go back in time to change the past, which will, therefore, change time itself.

While Timur makes his way to the gate, he receives a phone call from the police investigator. Timur insists that he has to save Gulya from Fahard because of the feelings he has. Fahard opens the gate, and Gulya realizes that she will cease to exist if he changes the past. Having nothing else to lose, she jumps into the gate, and Fahard follows suit.

Gulya runs away, and Fahard pursues her. She stumbles across the clock of the wise men while running, and as Fahard arrives, it’s gone. He screams in anger and frustration upon seeing this. Timur takes a glance from the tower and discovers that they’ve been sitting on the clock the whole time. He gets down to inspect the tree and finds a seal on it.

Grandfather uses his phone to search for the image and sees that it is the work of master Suma, a descendant of master Suri. Timur then asks his phone’s AI for a location where they can view the works of Master Suri, and it provides them with an answer. Seeing this, they make their way to the given location, and upon arriving, Timur inspects one of the works. He soon discovers that the work is a map pointing in the direction of the hourglass.

Timur and Grandfather arrive at the gate and jump in immediately. Meanwhile, the police and Timur’s parents arrive and are unable to track Timur as their phone has lost signal. The thief also eventually arrives at the scene and is confused by what he’s looking at. Too scared to enter the gate, he finds a stray cat and tosses it inside. The cat doesn’t return, and the thief realizes that entering is a bad idea.

The thief searches around while looking for valuable items. He finds the artifact and then pulls it out. The gate suddenly vanishes, and as the officers arrive, the thief escapes to prevent getting caught.

Inside the gates, Fahard finally catches up to Gulya, but so does Timur. She sees Timur and smiles as she tosses the hourglass to him, telling him not to let Fahard alter the timeline. Fahard then threatens to harm Gulya if Timur doesn’t hand over the hourglass. Timur then strikes the hourglass, causing it to break.

Their entire surroundings turn golden, and they find themselves in the city of Mirage. They then realize they’re in the hourglass, and while inside, they see parts of their adventures. Fahard lashes out as time has caught up with him, and with this, they all return to their respective timelines.

The crew gets out of the hourglass but finds themselves in a desert. They initially think that all hope is lost as they’re trapped, but the police investigation team tracks them down to their new location and comes to the rescue. Timur is reunited with his parents and embraces them.

While Timur does this, Grandfather describes everything he saw. Surprisingly, Gulya was able to grab a jewel from a chest inside the gates, and she hands it to Timur. This jewel will help solve his family’s desperate financial problems, which led him to begin the adventure in the first place.

Timur tried his best to save his parents’ marriage by saving their failing business. He found himself on an unexpected adventure that introduced him to new people and strengthened his bond with his grandfather. It also made him leave his comfort zone as he traveled to realms far beyond his own. In the end, Timur and Gulya saved the world, and Gulya helped him save his family. Do you think his family will remain happy after this?