The screenplay became the basis for the novel “The Cause You Serve” by Yuri Herman.
The main character, Vladimir Ustimenko, is a doctor. Life has not been kind to him. His father perished in Spain in the 1930-s. Invariably, no matter where his destiny took him, Vladimir stuck to the ideals and principles he developed back in his youth: as a student of the medical institute, in the capacity of army surgeon during the war, and in the post-war years when he became Head Physician in charge of a municipal hospital. Justice and selflessness have always been parts of Ustimenko's approach both to the cause he serves and the people he meets at different stages of his life.
This includes his girlfriend Varya, their friendship going back to well before the war and supporting both of them throughout their long lives.
Source : www.lenfilm.ru
