When the communist government raises food prices in 1962, the rebellious workers from the small industrial town of Novocherkassk go on strike. The massacre which then ensues is seen through the eyes of a devout party activist.
In the center of the film is a love story of a modest graduate of the St. Petersburg law faculty evasively answering a question about a job, and a flight attendant from Kaliningrad. The picture is based on the biography of Vladimir Putin.
