"Shadow of the Past" is a Ukrainian melodrama about the history of one family. Daria and Andrei resort to artificial insemination as Andrei is unable to have children of his own. They have a healthy daughter named Yana, whom they raise with love and care for 16 years. However, one day Andrei gets into an accident and dies. Before the family can mourn their father, another contender for his place appears on the horizon - Yana's biological father, who was a donor for the insemination.