Plot synopsis: Based on Vasil Bykov's unfinished novella of the same name. July 1941. A retreating military unit prepares to engage the Germans. There's complete chaos all around. The population of the Belarusian village of Lyubashi is partly fleeing with the troops, partly fleeing into the forest. The advancing Germans are also nearby. The battle rages, a continuous roar and the sound of exploding shells... And suddenly, all is quiet. The front has retreated further east.