The story unfolds in a post-war town in Western Ukraine. The enemy agents are trying to subvert communist writer Aleksandr Garmash using ideological diversions. In parallel, a story is told about student Rostislav Danchenko who is being recruited by enemy agents. The story is pertinent due to resurgence of ultra-nationalist underground activity in Western Ukraine after World War II.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Sergei BondarchukAleksandr Garmash | Aleksandr Garmash |
 Lidiya SmirnovaAnna | Anna |
 Olga ZhiznevaEvdokia Garmash | Evdokia Garmash |
 Yelena GogolevaMaria Spiridonovna | Maria Spiridonovna |
 Nikolai PlotnikovYarchuk | Yarchuk |
 Aleksandr KhvyliaKorshun | Korshun |
 Valentina UshakovaGalina | Galina |
 Vyacheslav TikhonovRostislav Danchenko | Rostislav Danchenko |
 Nikolay KryuchkovRodion | Rodion |
 Vera OrlovaGlasha | Glasha |
 Georgiy YumatovStudent | Student |
 Gennadiy SergeevSergey Gusev (as E. Sergeyev) | Sergey Gusev (as E. Sergeyev) |
 Yuri LavrovNikolay Nikolaevich Volsky | Nikolay Nikolaevich Volsky |