In this drama set against the Russian Civil War, a tough Red Army commander's military career is disrupted by an unwanted pregnancy. Forced to stay with a poor Jewish family until her child is born, she finds herself transformed by the warmth and compassion of her hosts. She must ultimately decide whether to rejoin her troops or stay with her child.

Based on the story: In the town of Berdichev / by Vassily Grossman. Originally released as a motion picture in 1988.