The August 1991 putsch has already gone down in history, but for Russians these three days and two nights have their own dimension, their own meaning. These days, 20 years ago, an attempted coup d'etat took place in the USSR. This attempt, for the first time in the country, united civil society around defending the chosen path from an authoritarian to a democratic state. The film presents an almost never used documentary chronicle of the events of August 1991. These materials came to the archives of the State Television and Radio Fund from various sources: from various TV companies, reporters and individuals. You will get acquainted with the chronicle of events, see priceless footage shot by amateur cameras ... There are inaccuracies in the dating and content (the rally of the winners at the White House took place on August 22, not August 21, 1991; the Vremya screen saver, which was first aired on May 14, 1986, was no longer used in 1991)