In 1946, Stalin invites all White Russian émigrés who fled to the West after the 1917 revolution to return and help rebuild the devastated motherland, offering them citizenship. Among the group aboard the voyage is the doctor Alexei Golovin, who believes in Stalin's promises of a peaceful, brighter future, his French wife Marie, and their young son Sasha Vasilyev. The atmosphere on the ship is lively, filled with songs and laughter, but once they dock in Odessa, the grim reality sinks in: Stalin’s offers appear to mask a grim fate, with many exiles facing murder or long terms in the Gulag.
On arrival in Kyiv, the Golovins confront a harsh new order as Soviet authorities separate returning émigrés into two groups, “fit” and “unfit.” A stark moment occurs when a young man is shot while trying to run back to his father, underscoring the danger they have stepped into. Marie is branded a spy when a Soviet official tears up her passport, and the family moves into a cramped communal apartment. The housekeeper who speaks a little French befriends Marie but is quickly denounced, taken away, and dies. The housekeeper’s grandson, Sasha, is left without a home when another couple arrives and takes over his grandmother’s room, and Marie invites him to share the Golovins’ space.
Marie feels stifled and longs to return to France. She makes attempts to reach the Soviet authorities and even seeks help from the visiting French actress, Gabrielle, but the pathways to escape are blocked or dangerous. Meanwhile, Alexei dutifully assumes his public health role and publicly supports the party line, while Marie grows more distant and yearns for freedom. Her budding friendship with Sasha becomes a glimmer of possibility, and she helps him train in hopes of regaining his place on the swim team, all while she also takes a job ironing costumes for the military choir in Kyiv. The tension between Marie and Alexei intensifies; when he publicly thanks the Soviet government, she explodes with anger. He confesses that he has slept with a neighbor, Olga, because Marie’s distance has hardened their relationship, and she throws him out, forcing him to move into the neighboring room with Olga.
Sasha earns a spot at the European Championships in Vienna after winning his trials, and he spends the night with Marie. A twist of fate follows when the coach finds Marie’s letters among Sasha’s belongings and warns her to stay away. Sasha travels to a training camp by the Black Sea, and, while away, secures passage for himself to escape the USSR. Marie raises money and travels to the port city with the military choir, where the ship’s captain initially balks at honoring their agreement but eventually concedes that he cannot come close to shore. Sasha attempts a dangerous swim to meet him, six hours offshore. Marie is subjected to brutal interrogation by the same KGB official she first faced, and a French magazine article later reveals that Sasha has indeed escaped to the West, resulting in Marie’s six-year imprisonment.
Upon her release, her husband and teenage son reunite with Marie, and the family reconciles, with hope on the horizon. Two years later, they participate in a delegation to Sofia, Bulgaria, where Alexei reveals that he has arranged for Marie’s escape by writing to Gabrielle. Marie and her son flee with Gabrielle to the French embassy, while Alexei is arrested for complicity and sent to a Gulag on Sakhalin. With the advent of glasnost in the Soviet Union, Alexei eventually returns to France in 1987, marking the end of a harrowing chapter and the beginning of a more open era.
