Veronica and Boris are young people in love. They date happily and sweetly. But one day war breaks out. Boris takes the initiative to join the army to fight at the front line. Before his departure, the two were not able to see each other one last time. In the bombardment of enemy planes, Veronica's home was leveled by shells, and both her parents were killed. She had only to board at Boris's father's home. Grief-stricken by the loss of all her closest relatives, she could not resist the seduction of Boris's cousin Malk, and lost her virginity to him. As a result, people accuse her of her behavior. Veronika, who has lost her zest for life, suddenly changes from a cheerful girl to a young woman who is depressed all the time. But she still waited for Boris' safe return. However, Boris was killed at the beginning of the war. Finally the war was over, and when everyone was celebrating the victory, Veronika came to the square with flowers in her hands. At that moment, a line of geese flew by in the sky, and Veronica couldn't help remembering the good times she had with Boris.
Veronika and Boris are in love. The two young people walk all night along the banks of the Moscow River, holding hands as the dawn breaks. Suddenly, a flock of geese passes calmly and solemnly in the sky, flying into the distance. Veronika looked on solemnly and fondly, and softly chanted, "The geese flew up into the sky, a little fleet of airships."
Veronica was so lively and sweet that Boris called her "little squirrel". He dropped her off at her house before the two parted ways. When Boris returned home, he went quietly to his room for fear of disturbing his family. Unexpectedly, his grandmother, who had gotten up to prepare breakfast, appeared in front of him. Boris lost his mother when he was a child; his father was a doctor, and he, his sister and his cousin Malk were raised by their grandmother.
Early Sunday morning, word came over the radio that there was going to be a war, and Muscovites immediately went into a state of readiness.
On this day, Veronika waits for Malk at her appointment. Boris, who has to guard his factory day and night, had to ask his cousin to tell his "little squirrel". Márk is a pianist, and he likes Veronika too. When they met, he took the opportunity to court Veronica and said. He wanted to organize a piano recital just for her. But Veronica was worried about whether Boris would go to the front. Marke smartly proclaims that "good people don't go to the front". With that, he squeezed the girl's hand lightly. Veronika sensitively withdrew her hand and walked away.
One evening a few days later, Boris arrived at Veronica's house with a full heart. He looked at Veronica, who was giddy and affectionate, and tried several times to stop talking. But Veronica believed Malk "smart people will not go to the front", do not want to listen to the matter of Boris service, only care about her birthday tomorrow, Boris give her what gift, only imagined that the day of their marriage, she will be a beautiful bride.
Just then, Boris's friend Stepan broke in. He came to tell Boris that the two of them had volunteered to serve in the army, that the acceptance notice had come down, and that they were leaving tomorrow. Veronika was bewildered by the unexpected news. Boris reassured her, "Nothing will happen, and we will live together until we are a hundred years old."
The next day, Veronica rushed to see Boris off with cookies and candy. But she was greeted at Boris's house only by her tear-stained grandmother. She handed her a stuffed squirrel that Boris had given her for her birthday. When she saw that Boris had not left her a note, she picked up the squirrel and ran towards the school where the team was to meet. By the time she got to the school, the group had already gathered and left. Veronika was crowded by the people who were seeing her off, but she could not get through. Suddenly, as if she saw Boris, Veronika called out and threw cookies and candies at him. The box fell to the ground and came apart, and the people who passed stepped over it.
Shortly after Boris left, Veronica's parents were killed in an air raid. The Boris family took in the lonely girl. Boris's father, Fedor, was busy working at the hospital with his daughter, Irina, and asked his nephew, Marke, to take care of Veronica for them.
With the loss of her parents and no news of Boris, Veronika was left in deep grief and despair. One night, when the air raid sirens were heard outside, Veronica refused to go to the Underground Railroad to hide, and Malk saw that she would not leave the house, and was too embarrassed to leave alone. Even though he was terrified inside. The bombardment was intense, the chandelier in the house shook and the walls cracked. Veronica and Malk instinctively flung themselves into one piece. Malk took the opportunity to kiss her. Veronica angrily pushed him away and ran out the door, Malk chased after her and roughly dragged her back inside, "I love you." Malk said lunging at her. Veronica hit him hard in both mouths. But Veronica, becoming extremely weak from the days of blows, finally couldn't hold it together and fainted. Malk picked up the unconscious Veronica and stepped over the shattered windowpanes into the bedroom.
Meanwhile, Boris's unit was surrounded on the front line. The commander sends Boris to reconnoiter the breakout route.
When Boris was leaving, he took out Veronica's photo from his coat pocket and gave it to Stepan for safekeeping. It was during this mission that Boris was shot. He slid down slowly against the trunk of a birch tree and finally collapsed in a large puddle of rainwater.
Soon after, Veronica married Malk out of necessity. Later, they were evacuated with Boris's family to a small town in Siberia. Veronica worked in the rear hospital with Fedor and Irina. Although she was married to Malk, she still looked forward to letters from Boris from the front. Her love for Boris and the guilt she feels for him torments her bitterly. And Malk's constant drinking and fooling around and drunkenness made Veronica more and more disgusted with him.
In the hospital ward, a wounded man named Shakharov is furious when he receives a letter from his family and learns that his fiancée has changed her mind and gone off with someone else, and Fyodor rushes to Shakharov's aid: "What's the big deal if your fiancée has run away! This should be happy. If she doesn't love a beautiful man like you, a true hero, and goes off to marry a rat who hides in the back, then she's not worth a single kopeck!"
Veronica was tending to the sick and wounded on one side as Fedal spoke. Her heart stung as she heard the words. Feeling ashamed of herself, she ran out of the hospital in a frenzy and ran in one breath to the outskirts of the city. She stood on a railroad overpass and looked at the approaching train, wanting to die to wash away her shame. But there is no courage, can not help but mournfully cover the face, suddenly, behind her the sound of brakes, she turned around, only to see a big truck is driving toward a little boy, she jumped over to save the child. The boy had traveled a great deal. He didn't know anything about what was going on in the world, except that he was looking for his mommy. Heartbroken, Veronica asked him his name. "Boris," the boy told her. She heard the affectionate name and moved to take the boy in her arms.
Veronica carried the boy to her home, where the boy kept crying for his mother. Veronica remembered that she had a stuffed squirrel she could use to coax the boy. But the "squirrel" was gone.
The squirrel was brought by Malk to his girlfriend Antonina's naming day party, where Antonina told the guests about her pampered life before the war, and when she saw some nuts in the basket where the squirrel was kept, she sadly thought of her own life. When she saw some nuts in the basket held by the "little squirrel", she thought sadly that she had tasted all the delicacies of the world, but only the nuts, so she poured them out, and at the bottom of the basket was revealed a note written by Boris to Veronica before he left for the war. At that moment, Veronica broke in to look for her "little squirrel", and took the note from Antonina. The note read, "Veronica, it hurts to leave you, but I can't help it ...... I love you and believe in you."
Veronica read the note as if Boris's kind words were ringing in her ears. She stood there for a long time, as if in a dream. Malk came along unknowingly and reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. She immediately jumped away and slapped him hard.
The two of them bickered and returned home, where Faydal was waiting for Malc. It turned out that Fedal had occasionally learned from Malk's friends that Malk had used his uncle's reputation and money, as well as the hospital's medicines, to make a deal and fish for an exemption certificate from military service in the first place. Fedal was furious and asked Malk what kept him out of the front line and how he got that exemption.
Malk had nothing to say. Veronica, on the sidelines, was in agony knowing this. She rushed upstairs and gathered up her clothes, picked up sleeping little Boris and walked downstairs. She was ready to find another house and take little Boris to live alone. At that point, Fedal ruled majestically, "Perhaps it should be the other one who goes out and finds a house to live in?"
Mark immediately took that in stride and went to organize his things. On that note. The greedy scumbag was banished from the household.
The hard years of the war were finally over, and the people welcomed the victorious year of 1945, and Veronica stood in the middle of the crowd welcoming the hero's return in a white dress, holding beautiful flowers, her gaze rekindled to its former glory. Music was played on the platform of the station, and the triumphant hero stepped out of the train. But Veronika did not see her Boris, only Stepan. When Stepan handed back to Veronica the photo he had kept for Boris, Veronica finally realized that she would never see her beloved Boris again, and she couldn't help but lose her voice and cry ......
Steepan's voice rang out from the platform, and he gave a speech on behalf of the heroes of the homeland who had returned and those who could not: "We will do everything in our power to spare mankind the pain of losing their loved ones forever."
Veronika was inspired, she pulled herself together and went forward to distribute the flowers in her hands, one by one, to the returning warriors.
At that moment, a flock of geese flew calmly and solemnly over Moscow. Veronika gazed up as Fedor came and put a relieved arm around her shoulders. The two of them looked up with solemnity at the fading geese.