A Trip Without a Load

Pavel Sirotkin, a young novice journalist from Moscow, is assigned to write an article about the northern timber industry and its driver Nikolay Khromov. He travels to field sites and interviews officials, expecting a routine feature. From the start, he senses the story will reveal more than simple reporting as he confronts brutal winter conditions and evasive answers.

He uncovers harsh working conditions and signs of fraud in the timber industry. Khromov is depicted as a shrewd operator who deftly manipulates the mileage account. The director Akim Sevastyanovich is cunning and ready to push the plan at any price to keep the scheme afloat.

Over days of inquiry, Sirotkin collects facts and documents to support a devastating exposé. He interviews workers and gathers records that substantiate misdeeds. The mounting evidence convinces him that the story could expose systemic corruption.

With the package of evidence ready, Sirotkin notifies Akim Sevastyanovich of his findings. The director tries to dissuade him, appealing to loyalty and the risks of challenging powerful interests. The journalist remains determined but wary about the danger his story might provoke.

When persuasion fails, the director assigns Khromov to drive Sirotkin to the district center, hinting at the journalist's disappearance. Khromov accepts the assignment, realizing it could silence the truth. The road becomes a battleground between duty and intimidation.

As they travel, fate seems to offer a chance to bury the evidence with impunity. Khromov ponders leaving the journalist in the snow to disappear and erase the trace of the misdeeds. The moral conflict between the urban reporter and the rural driver grows with every mile.

A malfunction causes the truck to run out of gasoline, halting on a frozen river amid vast plains. The short day ends and a snowstorm rises as darkness approaches. Rescue seems unlikely as the cold tightens its grip.

The temperature drops to minus 40 degrees Celsius, turning the drive into a fight for survival. Both men face the brutal choice between survival and maintaining the truth. The storm roars and light fades as the night deepens.

In the extreme cold, the journalist and the chauffeur reveal their true psychological and human qualities. Sirotkin weighs his obligation to expose corruption against his own safety. Khromov's priorities come into sharper relief as the crisis deepens.

The situation pushes both men to a critical moral juncture. The journalist must decide whether to continue pursuing the exposé at great personal risk or to prioritize survival. The choice will shape Sirotkin's future as a reporter and the fate of the uncovered misconduct.

Dawn arrives with the consequences of their decision still shaping the narrative. The final hours determine the future paths of both men. The film underscores that truth-telling comes at a price and defines the journalist's integrity.

The narrative emphasizes the journalist's integrity and the cost of pursuing the truth. Sirotkin's choice under extreme pressure becomes the measure of his character and the future of his reporting. The fate of Khromov and the exposed practices is left to interpretation, highlighting the ethical stakes of reporting.