On the fateful night of March 1, 1953, a demand from Joseph Stalin puts the future of several powerful men at stake. He urgently instructs the director of Radio Moscow to obtain a recording of the recently completed live performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23. To his dismay, the performance was not captured. In a frantic bid to avoid Stalin's wrath, the director quickly refills the dwindling audience, secures a new conductor to replace the original, who has suffered a collapse, and instructs the orchestra to perform once more.
Amidst this chaos, Maria Yudina, portrayed by Olga Kurylenko, initially resists the dictator’s demand to play but is ultimately coaxed into compliance through bribery. Meanwhile, at Stalin's home, the Kuntsevo Dacha, a tumultuous gathering of Central Committee members unfolds. As Vyacheslav Molotov, played by Michael Palin, is about to leave, Lavrentiy Beria reveals to Nikita Khrushchev and Deputy Chairman Georgy Malenkov that Molotov is marked for the latest purge.
When the concert recording makes its way to Stalin, he discovers a note hidden inside the record sleeve, one in which Maria lambastes him and utters a wish for his demise. Amused at first, his laughter quickly turns to tragedy as he suffers a cerebral hemorrhage. His guards, hearing the commotion yet fearing punitive repercussions, hesitate to enter the office.
The following morning, the housemaid uncovers Stalin lying unconscious. In the wake of this shocking news, members of the Central Committee, including Kaganovich, Mikoyan, and Bulganin, hurriedly converge on the dacha and promptly decide to summon doctors, though most leading physicians have been imprisoned on dubious charges. The medical assistance is far from adequate, and after a brief moment of clarity, Stalin succumbs to his condition. As the committee heads back to Moscow, Beria seizes control, ordering the NKVD to take over security positions previously held by the Soviet Army.
In a power play, Beria and Khrushchev manipulate Molotov and Stalin's children, Svetlana and her erratic brother Vasily, vying for their allegiance. Beria cunningly removes Molotov from the purge list and orchestrates the release of his wife from prison. Malenkov is appointed as chairman, but he swiftly becomes a pawn in Beria’s machinations, jeopardizing Khrushchev’s proposed reforms aimed at reducing political oppression.
Khrushchev, finding an opportunity to undermine Beria, counters an order preventing transport into Moscow. This decision leads to tragedy when 1,500 mourning citizens are killed, prompting the Committee to seek a scapegoat among junior NKVD operatives. Beria vehemently opposes this suggestion, aware that it could tarnish his reputation.
Riled by the encroachment of the NKVD into military affairs, Marshal Georgy Zhukov pledges his support to Khrushchev for a coup against Beria, stipulating it occurs post-Stalin’s funeral and that Khrushchev secures the backing of the Committee. Desperate, Khrushchev struggles to engage Malenkov, yet convinces others that a unanimous agreement has been reached. With the facade maintained, Khrushchev allows Zhukov to act, and the Soviet Army regains its former positions from the NKVD. Zhukov, allied with soldiers led by Kiril Moskalenko, storms a Committee meeting and arrests Beria.
Malenkov, paralyzed by fear, reluctantly signs the death warrant. During Beria's swift trial, Khrushchev accuses him of a litany of heinous crimes, immediately sentencing him after presenting damning evidence. Despite Beria’s desperate pleas for mercy, he is executed without delay. Zhukov then arranges for his body to be incinerated, illustrating the brutal ends of political ambition.
In a surprising turn, Khrushchev decides to send Svetlana away to Soviet-controlled Vienna while keeping Vasily close under surveillance. Aligning with Kaganovich, he deems Malenkov far too weak to serve as a credible leader. By 1956, as Maria takes to the stage once more as the soloist for Concerto No. 23, the balance of power has shifted. Khrushchev, having solidified his control over the Soviet Union, attends the performance, with future leader Brezhnev keenly observing him from the audience.
