Soviet partisans navigate occupation, betrayal, and sacrifice to protect their village and homeland.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
Occupied Territory
NKVD officers are ambushed by German troops and forced to flee. They escape captivity and march as prisoners before successfully breaking free.
Key Events
NKVD Office Ambush — NKVD officer attacked by German troops during document handover. Characters: Political InstructorLocation: Pskov Region Office
Prisoner March — Escaped soldiers captured and marched westward with other POWs. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Forest Road
Laundry Disguise — Escaped soldiers discard uniforms to avoid German execution. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Local Laundry
Village Resistance
The escapees hide in a local village where the chief collaborates with Germans. They eliminate traitors and ambush German patrols to secure supplies.
Key Events
Barn Shelter — Three escapees hide in a local village under occupation. Characters: Political Instructor, Sniper, KaterinaLocation: Blinov Barn
Village Chief Secret — Village chief admits collaboration with Germans to protect local interests. Characters: Political Instructor, KaterinaLocation: Barn Interior
Traitor Elimination — Protagonists kill collaborating policeman Mishka and retrieve weapons. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Riverbank
Forest Ambush — Attack on German motorcyclists yields heavy weapons and supplies. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Forest
Hostage Crisis
The police chief raids the village and takes relatives hostage. Failed negotiations force the protagonists to plan a direct assassination attempt.
Key Events
Forest Ambush — Attack on German motorcyclists yields heavy weapons and supplies. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Forest
Police Raid — Police chief takes village relatives hostage to force compliance. Characters: KaterinaLocation: Local School
Hostage Threat — Daughters threatened with execution if culprits are not produced. Characters: Katerina, Political InstructorLocation: School Courtyard
Failed Negotiation — Negotiation to save hostages collapses due to impossible demands. Characters: Katerina, Political InstructorLocation: Police Station
Assassination Plan — Protagonists prepare to assassinate the police chief directly. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Village Outskirts
Final Stand
The assassination attempt fails, leading to a forest retreat and a commissar's sacrifice. The sniper eliminates the chief, and the village begins to recover.
Key Events
Assassination Plan — Protagonists prepare to assassinate the police chief directly. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Village Outskirts
Chief Wounded — Shooting attempt fails, chief survives and flees to neighboring village. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Village Road
Forest Retreat — Group flees into woods after failed attack and German pursuit. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Eastern Forests
Commissar Sacrifice — Political Instructor sacrifices himself to allow others to escape. Characters: Political InstructorLocation: Forest Clearing
Sniper Revenge — Sniper kills the police chief from a distance using captured rifle. Characters: SniperLocation: Kurtsevo Outskirts
Defection — Checkist declares allegiance to the Blinov side after the attack. Characters: Political Instructor, SniperLocation: Forest Edge
Homeland Pledge — Blinov Sr orders his son to follow and protect the homeland. Characters: Sniper, KaterinaLocation: Village Path
Final Mission — Blinov Sr returns alone to buy daughters freedom with heirlooms. Characters: SniperLocation: Village Road
Occupation Reality — Villagers continue navigating survival under German occupation. Characters: Katerina, SniperLocation: Blyany Village
Hostage Release — Daughters are eventually freed after the chief's death and negotiations. Characters: KaterinaLocation: School
Story Breakdown
Occupation & Escape — Initial German invasion forces Soviet officers to flee and adapt to hostile territory.
NKVD Ambush — Office attack forces immediate retreat and disguise.
Prisoner March — Captured soldiers endure forced movement westward.
Village Sanctuary — Escapees find refuge in a local village with complex loyalties.
Barn Hiding — Protagonists conceal themselves in civilian structures.
Collaborator Secret — Village chief admits working with Germans for survival.
Armed Resistance — Protagonists take direct action against occupation forces.
Traitor Elimination — Killing a collaborating policeman secures weapons.
German Ambush — Forest attack captures heavy machine guns and supplies.
Hostage Crisis — Occupation authorities retaliate by taking civilian hostages.
Police Raid — Chief seizes village relatives to force compliance.
Failed Negotiation — Diplomatic efforts collapse under impossible demands.
Assassination Attempt — Protagonists plan a direct strike against the police chief.
Chief Wounded — Shooting attempt fails and chief escapes pursuit.
Forest Retreat — Group flees into woods to avoid German retaliation.
Sacrifice & Resolution — Final confrontations lead to loss, victory, and village recovery.
Commissar End — Political Instructor sacrifices himself for the group.
Final Stand — Sniper eliminates the chief and village secures freedom.
It is August 1941. With the battle line far away in the east, three soldiers who have managed to escape from captivity find it difficult to hide: the territory is occupied by the enemy. The local woods are not safe: you can easily get embogged. Are the villagers loyal? Nobody can say. There is an old man who offers to help them. Is he reliable enough? He may kill them or report them to the local German authorities. Anything may happen, but one of them, the sniper, is his son who is his youngest, his dearest.
