During the final frigid months of World War II, Andrei returns from the battlefront, not as a conquering hero, but as a deserter. He is forced to hide near his small, Siberian logging village, concealing his presence from all but his wife, Nastya, who he swears to secrecy. Forced to carry on a sort of illicit affair with her husband, Nastya must try to find a way to explain her sudden pregnancy to the village. She also must carry on her daily activities and help the hardworking local women keep their village alive and supply wood to the war effort. When V-Day arrives and the men return home from war as heroes, Nastya must find ways to detour the army from finding Andrei.