1937. A young couple is going to a village outside of Moscow to baptize their child in secret. A train with convicts passes by the station they have just arrived at. Suddenly a letter flies out of a carriage. The protagonists understand that it is a message home. Their life henceforth is a painful struggle between conscience and fear. They are well aware that arranging for the letter to reach the addressee is regarded as collaborationism and is a severe offence.