Nadezhda Markina

Middle-aged couple Elena (Nadejda Markina) and Vladimir (Andreï Smirnov), come from different walks of society. He is a well-off businessman; she is a former medical worker, now a housewife. Having met late in life, each has children from previous marriages. Elena's son is unemployed and constantly asking for money. Vladimir's daughter is a careless young woman whose contact with her father is irregular and strained. Their worlds rupture when a heart attack puts Vladimir in hospital and he makes a significant decision: his daughter will be the only heiress of his wealth. The shy and submissive Elena's hopes of helping her son and grandchildren secure a better life are crushed, triggering a desperate plan.

February 1942, a chilling winter of the Siege of Leningrad. Unable to endure starvation and cold anymore, Zina Voronova evacuates the city, leaving her little son behind in their empty apartment. Rescued by Katya, an orphaned teenaged girl, right as his apartment block was leveled by an enemy air raid, he's taken in as her brother as they wander streets of the besieged city in hopes of survival.