The collection contains two stories by Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin (1870-1938) about growing up.The main character of "Cadets" ("At the breaking point") Misha Bulanin, a kind and vulnerable child, finds himself in the cruel world of the cadet corps. Faced with the bullying of older students and the indifference of teachers, he turns into a desperate teenager.The plot of "Junkers" tells about the life of a young graduate of the military college Alexei Alexandrov, his academic success, personal life and the beginning of his creative career as a writer.