The story revolves around Nadezhda, an ordinary girl whose youth is spent in a small Russian town. One day, she accompanies her beloved Leshya as he leaves for contract service. The heroine does everything in her power to dissuade her fiancé from getting involved in this dangerous job. But the stubborn young man refuses to live in poverty and, despite her pleas, he leaves. Nadya's female intuition does not fail her. Some time later, she receives terrible news: Alexey has disappeared without a trace.