The Cranes Are Flying (1957) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Boris decided to volunteer for the army immediately after learning that Nazi Germany had launched a surprise invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. His decision was driven by patriotism and a sense of duty to defend his country. Before leaving, he hid a love note inside a stuffed squirrel toy for Veronika, asking his grandmother to give it to her as a birthday gift.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Boris and Veronika watch cranes flying over Moscow at dawn, symbolizing the peace that is about to be shattered by war.

• boris volunteer
• patriotism
• world war 2
• moscow invasion

Boris was killed during a dangerous reconnaissance mission at the front. After getting into an altercation with a fellow soldier named Valentin Zubkov over a photo of Veronika, their commanding officer assigned them to a perilous task. During the mission, Boris heroically saved the life of a fellow soldier named Volodya but was shot in the process. In his final moments, he experienced a vision of his wedding with Veronika that would never happen.

Foreshadowing: The argument with Zubkov over Veronika's photo directly led to both soldiers being assigned the deadly mission.

• boris death
• reconnaissance mission
• volodya
• soldier killed

Before leaving for the front, Boris hid a heartfelt love note inside the stuffed squirrel toy he gave Veronika through his grandmother. The note expressed his enduring love and hope that they would be together again. Veronika later discovers this note when she retrieves the toy from Mark's birthday party, learning that Boris had carried his feelings for her throughout the war until his death.

Foreshadowing: Boris specifically asked his grandmother to give Veronika the stuffed squirrel before departing, emphasizing its importance.

• stuffed squirrel
• love note
• boris message
• squirrel toy

Veronika married Mark after he assaulted her during an air raid. While the exact circumstances are traumatic, she was pressured into the marriage, and the family viewed her as having betrayed Boris's memory. The marriage was unhappy, and Veronika despised Mark for what he had done to her.

Foreshadowing: Mark had previously confessed his love for Veronika and was rejected, setting up his later violent actions.

• veronika marriage
• mark
• cousin assault
• married mark

During an air raid, Mark made advances toward Veronika. When she resisted his romantic pursuit, he raped her. This act of betrayal and violence occurred while Veronika was staying with Boris's family after losing her parents. Despite the assault, Mark later married her, but Veronika despised him for what he had done.

Foreshadowing: Mark had previously declared his love for Veronika and was rejected, which fueled his later violent actions.

• mark assault
• air raid
• rape
• veronika trauma

Veronika attempted suicide by throwing herself in front of a train because she was overwhelmed by guilt and grief. She had overheard her superior at the military hospital condemning unfaithful women, and believing she resembled such a woman due to her marriage to Mark and the circumstances surrounding it, she felt unworthy and hopeless. However, she was interrupted when she rescued a young boy named Boris who had become separated from his mother, which gave her a renewed sense of purpose.

Foreshadowing: Her feelings of guilt stemmed from her marriage to Mark and the family's belief that she had betrayed Boris's memory.

• veronika suicide
• guilt
• grief
• train attempt

Volodya was a fellow soldier whom Boris saved during the reconnaissance mission where Boris was killed. Boris sacrificed his own life to save Volodya from danger. After recovering from his injuries, Volodya later returns to find Boris's family and delivers the heartbreaking news of Boris's death. At the end of the film, Volodya and Veronika develop a close bond, walking together along the river in Moscow.

Foreshadowing: Boris's decision to save Volodya directly led to his own death during the mission.

• volodya
• soldier friend
• boris saved
• british friend

The cranes serve as a powerful symbol throughout the film. They first appear at dawn on June 22, 1941, when Boris and Veronika watch them flying over Moscow before the German invasion, representing peace and the innocence about to be destroyed by war. The cranes return at the film's end during the victory celebration, symbolizing hope, memory, and the enduring spirit of those lost in the war. The cranes represent the connection between love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene with cranes flying over Moscow establishes the symbolic framework for the entire narrative.

• cranes symbol
• symbolism
• hope
• memory
• peace

Boris's father, Fyodor Ivanovich, discovered that Mark had bribed his way out of military service rather than fighting for his country. This revealed Mark's cowardice and betrayal not only of Boris but of their entire family and nation. Additionally, Mark had married Veronika after assaulting her and had given away the stuffed squirrel toy (containing Boris's love note) to his mistress. Fyodor expelled Mark from their home for these betrayals.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the family had believed Mark was serving in the military, but his true cowardice was hidden until revealed.

• mark expelled
• bribed military
• betrayal
• cowardice

Throughout the film, Veronika struggles to accept Boris's death, clinging to hope that he might still be alive. Even after Volodya delivers the news of Boris's death in 1945, she continues to search for him at the train station during the victory celebration. However, at the film's end, she appears to begin a process of healing, distributing flowers among returning soldiers and their families while looking up at the cranes flying overhead, suggesting she is starting to find peace while honoring Boris's memory.

Foreshadowing: Her persistent refusal to accept his death is evident throughout the film, from her hopeful waiting to her frantic search at the train station.

• boris death acceptance
• grief
• veronika hope
• Moving on

Veronika's parents were killed during a German air raid that destroyed their apartment building in Moscow. This devastating event occurred shortly after Boris left for the war, leaving Veronika orphaned. After this tragedy, Boris's family took her in and offered her shelter, but she remained grief-stricken over both her loss and Boris's absence.

Foreshadowing: The air raid that killed her parents was one of the devastating consequences of the German invasion that began the film.

• veronika parents death
• air raid
• apartment destroyed
• orphan

At the end of the film, during a patriotic gathering honoring those who died in the war, Veronika distributes her flowers among returning soldiers and their families. This act symbolizes her transition from personal grief to communal healing. She is honoring the memory of Boris and all those lost while also embracing life and hope for the future. Looking up at the cranes flying overhead, she finds peace in remembering the love she shared with Boris while beginning to move forward.

Foreshadowing: The cranes appear at both the beginning and end, framing Veronika's journey from hope through tragedy to renewal.

• flowers distribution
• ending
• hope
• remembrance
• peace