A young, unknown artist, Ivan, goes from Moscow to St. Petersburg to audition for a new big film directed by Alexei German Jr. But suddenly, one by one, famous actors board the train, and it turns out that they are going there. This path turns into a test for Ivan and the understanding that he has no chance. Will he be able to outwit them and become the only contender?
Sasha Zorina, who at the age of 10 became famous throughout the country for her main role in the popular blockbuster "Aurora", 15 years later works as a telephone psychologist at the suicide prevention center, drinks a lot and tries to continue her acting career without much success. When she comes to her senses after a protracted celebration of her 25th birthday, she realizes that she absolutely does not remember the previous four weeks. Trying to reconstruct the events of the month that fell out of her memory, the heroine plunges deeper into her past, where everything turns out to be much scarier and more dangerous than she thought.
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.