The year is 1918. While the Russian Civil War tears the country apart, the young doctor of quiet Mureyvo finds himself preoccupied with concealing a worsening dependence on morphine from an impending inspection.

Having recently regained his standing, the Old Doctor is ambushed on a train, the attack stemming from rumors of his morphine dependence. That same year, in 1918, the Young Doctor finds himself captivated by a striking woman of noble birth.

Pelageya’s condition remained uncertain; the Young Doctor grew increasingly absorbed in Natasha as Pelageya’s illness, suspected to be either malaria or typhus, deepened.

At the funeral, the young doctor offered a speech steeped in personal reflection. Soon after, the Bolsheviks seized power, and the doctor found himself facing an impossible choice when a train careened off the tracks.