Todorovsky's film examines life in a provincial Russian town (that is too small to even appear on the map) just outside of Stalingrad during the famous WWII Battle. This is NOT a traditional war film, and the epic events of the battle take place almost entirely off screen. Instead, Todorovsky outlines a crude love triangle between three young people caught up in the harsh Russian winter. The stark winter settings, and the characters' struggle for survival, are what make this film one worth watching.

A band of young musicians is looking for fees across the steppe in an ramshackle old bus. During their tour, starving, they kill a cow but they don't know what to do with it. They will also bring happiness in an old people's home in return for food.