The film follows two student cinematographers who, as the war approaches Moscow, refuse to be evacuated and instead volunteer to be front-line cameramen capturing the horrors of war and heroism of the soviet soldiers. At the same time, we witness another storyline taking place in the US. After the premiere screening of the already completed documentary “Moscow Strikes Back”, one of the members of the Academy Awards selection committee is trying to persuade his fellow colleagues to establish a new category of Best Documentary in the upcoming Oscars event.
The Trifonov family lives in a small town. Vladimir, Nadezhda and their two sons Romka and Pashka. Once Pashka with a group of factory workers goes to Moscow on an excursion. After his return, the parents notice that the son has become more withdrawn, taciturn, often absent somewhere. The parents soon find out that the son is dating a woman fifteen years older than him. And the chosen one also has three children. Parents begin to fight for their son, crushing and breaking the newly born love. But, after a while, both realize what a terrible mistake they made.