Zerograd

Alexei Varakin arrives in the nameless Soviet town on a business trip from Moscow to inspect a factory. He discovers the pass he requested is missing, complicating his entry. Inside the factory, the manager's secretary is strikingly naked, and nobody seems to react. The manager himself remains unaware of the chief engineer's death.

During a meager lunch at an empty restaurant, a cake shaped like Alexei's head is offered to him, which he declines. The gesture unsettles the cook who made the cake, and her disappointment spirals into an impulsive act. She commits suicide soon after, leaving behind a town that does not question such oddities.

After giving his statement to the authorities, Alexei tries to leave town but all train tickets are sold out. Desperation grows as his pleas fall on deaf ears, and the town's officials appear indifferent.

A taxi driver takes him to a remote place housing an underground local history museum. The caretaker guides Alexei through a diverse exhibit spanning Trojans, Romans, and Soviet leaders, hinting at a town that clings to grand narratives. The encounter sets a cryptic, thematic tone for Varakin's stay.

Alexei stops overnight at the home of a local electrician. The electrician's son, Misha, confidently predicts that Alexei will never leave the town and speaks with unsettling precision about his life and future plans.

Anna, a local driver, offers to drive him to Perebrodino station for Moscow trains. A black police Volga intercepts them, signaling that escape may be blocked. The sense of surveillance deepens as Varakin's options shrink.

The town's investigator informs Varakin that his biological father was Nikolayev, a deceased cook, and reveals his real name is Mahmud. This revelation binds his identity to hidden town histories and power dynamics.

The town's prosecutor, who secretly harbors a desire to commit a crime, reveals that the supposed suicide was actually a premeditated murder. The finding reframes Varakin's understanding of the town's ethics and raises the stakes for everyone involved.

Alexei and Anna visit the summer house of poet Vasily Chugunov, where they learn Nikolayev used to be a famous rock'n'roll dancer in town. The revelation connects the cook's hidden past to the town's cultural memory, hinting at deeper secrets.

That evening they attend the opening of the Nikolayev Rock'n'Roll Fans Club, where prominent townspeople are present. Chugunov proclaims the event a triumph for democracy, masking underlying town tensions and political theater.

During the night, the prosecutor whom Varakin had previously spoken to attempts to shoot himself with his service gun, but the weapon misfires several times. The failed act exposes the volatility and hidden motives within the town's power structures.

As night grows, a group from the dance party led by Alexei visits the legendary 1,000-year-old oak tree believed to grant power to those who dare to cut its branches. The tree is dying, but they still collect its branches as souvenirs, pondering power, fate, and memory.

The prosecutor offers Alexei a chance to escape; after running through a forest, he finds an abandoned boat without oars and climbs in, letting the river's current carry him away. The last act leaves his fate open to the town's currents and secrets.