Deep in the taiga, a mysterious phenomenon takes shape: a dome-like Wall about two kilometers in diameter, formed from a foggy blanket that periodically swells and vanishes, possibly carrying a powerful electrostatic charge. The Wall draws scientists to a remote research station, where observers are exposed to visions from the past, triggered by what they see through the barrier. The atmosphere is tense yet curious, as researchers weigh what they are witnessing against the limits of their instruments and theories.
At the station, Lomov has been stationed there for three months. He believes the Wall is an envoy from a different civilization, and, despite the skepticism around him, he keeps trying to make contact. With a borrowed military locator, he attempts to transmit various pictures toward the Wall and studies how it responds. In response, the Wall induces vivid hallucinations drawn from the past lives of the locator operators, while radar equipment repeatedly burns out, threatening to cut the experiment short.
To steady the investigation, the authorities send Andrey to take Lomov’s place, a man who suspects that Lomov may be overworked and perhaps imagining that the Wall is an intelligent alien intelligence. He arrives with a sense of pragmatic caution and an openness to the extraordinary. Accompanying him is Lomov’s bride, Lena, whose presence adds a personal dimension to the mission as they confront the Wall together. Also joining the effort is senior sergeant Valya, who has been tasked with preparing a malfunctioning locator for dismantling. The group engages in heated debates about the Wall’s nature, conducts experiments with the locator, and gradually coalesces around a provocative hypothesis: perhaps Martians are observing life on Earth through this strange gateway, studying humanity by granting glimpses into its memories.
As the phenomenon repeats, Lena receives a pivotal clue during one of the mirages that contact might be possible by stepping through the Wall itself. She makes an attempt to enter, but the Wall closes before she can reach it, and her companions watch in a mix of awe and alarm as the window to contact seemingly vanishes.
Returning to Moscow with a formal report, the expedition holds a press conference where journalists and scientists question Soviet researchers about the true nature of the Wall. The discussion opens the door to broader speculation and further study, as Soviet scientists begin plans for a new, larger expedition with an extended team to carry out a more detailed investigation of the Wall.
