Pashka Kolokolnikov is a young, hopeful, and somewhat naïve truck driver roaming the Chuisky Tract near Gorno-Altaysk. Open-hearted and curious about life, he meets a string of people on his routes, each leaving a mark on his journey. When a kolkhoz chairman hires him to haul timber, Pashka’s path glances toward a quiet, reserved librarian named Nastya, and a fragile romance begins to bud. Yet Nastya’s heart seems drawn to another man, Gena, a more confident suitor, and Pashka’s early hopes are gently, but firmly, dashed. In a moment of candor after the awkward rejection, he steps back, encourages Gena to pursue Nastya, and quietly contemplates his own streak of misfortune in love, a reflection that lends a bittersweet resonance to his adventures.
In a separate encounter along the road, Pashka once again crosses paths with a city woman who speaks of household culture. At first he refuses her payment, but a crude remark from her husband darkens the moment, and Pashka demands a fare that exceeds the norm, a small flare of defensiveness that reveals his stubborn pride. The day’s farce ends, yet the encounter lingers as part of his evolving sense of worth and fairness.
Seeking friendship, Pashka returns to a former acquaintance, Katya (Катя Лизунова), hoping to rekindle their relationship. Katya’s cool reception stirs a debate about modern relationships and lingering past loyalties, a conversation that nudges Pashka toward new understandings of love and companionship. That night, a landlady’s tale about a driver who met a spectral woman in white—Death personified—haunts Pashka, fusing his romantic longing with existential fear. In his dreams, Nastya reappears, but she is cast not as love alone, but as a symbol of mortality, a reminder that life’s fragility can shape one’s courage.
On a routine trip with his colleague Kondrat Stepanovich, Pashka ventures into matchmaking again, introducing Kondrat to a widow named Anisya. The budding romance between Kondrat and Anisya brings a touch of tenderness to the film’s rhythm, illustrating how even ordinary days can birth quiet happiness.
A turning point arrives when a fire erupts at a fuel depot. While others flee, Pashka chooses to stay, driving the burning truck away from the depot to avert catastrophe. He sustains injuries in the act, and the event lands him in a hospital bed. There, a journalist from Leningrad interviews him, adding a light, playful energy to his recovery. A heartfelt talk with a retired teacher reinforces a message that resonates with him: pursue knowledge, savor simple joys, and cultivate a resilient spirit.
As the film closes, Pashka drifts into a final dream of Nastya—this time, not Death, but Love guiding his path. The dream kindles a quiet resolve, urging him to keep moving forward, to seek fulfillment in life, and to trust that love, in its many forms, can help him grow beyond luck and into a fuller future.
