It is the height of summer when young driver Georgy embarks on a journey to another town, transporting a load of flour in his light truck. His trip takes an unwelcome turn at a roadside police post, where he encounters a pair of rude and corrupt officers. As these officers flirt with a woman they had just stopped, Georgy cleverly swipes his documents and slips away unnoticed. On the road, he picks up a hitchhiker—an elderly man who shares a harrowing tale from the aftermath of World War II. He recounts a grim incident where a corrupt military officer shamelessly robbed him and threatened him with imprisonment. In a bid for revenge, he ultimately shot the officer. When Georgy parks his truck to take a brief break, he returns to find the old man mysteriously gone.
Shortly after, Georgy crosses paths with an underage prostitute. Feeling sympathy for her, he offers some money and food, but instead of gratitude, she belittles him for his kindness and storms off.
As night falls, Georgy finds himself lost and decides to camp on a field until the morning. His solitude is shattered when three local men approach, attempting to rob him of his load. They engage him in seemingly benign conversation, weaving a tale about a friend rendered mute after witnessing his father’s murder in childhood. Out of nowhere, one of the men strikes Georgy on the head with a log, knocking him unconscious.
The narrative shifts back to World War II. Two Soviet soldiers from a defeated regiment cautiously navigate occupied territory. They stumble upon a house where a widowed teacher lives with his young son. The teacher generously offers them food and shelter. However, the soldiers view his pacifism and indifference towards the German invaders as an act of treason, leading them to murder him and rob the home, leaving the child alone to fend for himself.
Fast forward to winter, where Georgy now resides in the very house abandoned by the teacher. The blow to his head has rendered him feeble-minded and mute, wandering around disheveled and with a vacant stare. The woman residing in the house exploits him, using him as a sex slave while trading his flour at the local market. One day, a policeman warns her that authorities are searching for Georgy and his truck, urging her to dispose of them quickly. After being beaten by locals, Georgy finds himself detained by the police, but he is freed later that night when another inmate engages the lone guard in a fight, opening the cells.
The woman sells Georgy’s truck and leaves him abandoned in a snow-covered village. Now homeless, he roams the area, shunned by the locals until he collapses from fatigue. Miraculously, he is found and taken in by the old man he had previously given a ride to.
As events unfold, a military van arrives in the village, tasked with transporting the body of a deceased soldier back to his homeland. The challenge is compounded for the two servicemen, especially since one officer is plagued by delirium tremens. Unable to track down the soldier's family, they resort to bribing random individuals for signatures on the paperwork. The old man seems initially hesitant but ultimately agrees to help. However, shortly after, Georgy steps outside only to discover the old man lying dead—hinting that the officer in his drunken stupor may be responsible for his demise.
In a trance-like daze, Georgy retrieves the old man's pistol and exits onto the road, where he encounters an excessively talkative truck driver who rambles on about the futility of interfering in others' affairs. Meanwhile, the earlier police officers confront a police major and his wife. During a routine check for a burnt-out headlight, the major attempts to bribe and intimidate them to no avail. Following a tense exchange, a violent brawl breaks out, with the major getting handcuffed and brutally beaten by the corrupt officers. To manufacture two fake witnesses for the arrest, they flag down another vehicle—Georgy's truck. They pressure the driver into complying, and when they turn their attention to Georgy, he remains oddly silent. The situation escalates into a brawl, during which one officer produces an assault rifle. In an instant, Georgy reacts and shoots him dead, continuing to eliminate everyone else in the fray. With a tenuous grip on the pistol, he stumbles into the darkness, haunted by the chaos around him.
