In tears, she stumbles through the celebrating crowd. Veronika finds Stepan and finally learns that Boris is indeed dead. When Boris’s unit returns, Veronika carries a huge bouquet of flowers, intends to give them to him and hunts for him and his friend Stepan during a celebration at the train station. They are very close, but Veronika still refuses to believe that Boris is dead since Volodya was injured himself and never saw Boris die. In 1945, the war has ended, and Veronika and Volodya stroll by the river back in Moscow. Later, Volodya, having recovered, comes in search of Boris's family and tells them that Boris is dead. The boy saved by Veronika becomes part of the family. Fyodor kicks Mark out, and Veronika is forgiven by the family for "betraying" Boris. He realises Mark betrayed Russia and the family and has taken advantage of Veronika.
Veronika grabs it, and in voice-over Boris narrates the final tender love note to her.įyodor learns that Mark bribed his way out of being drafted into the Red Army. Veronika races over to the party, where a partygoer has finally found the note that Boris hid. Boris's sister Irina spitefully tells Veronika that Mark is giving the toy to his mistress at her birthday party. Veronika takes the boy home and looks for her squirrel toy from Boris. The boy has been separated from his mother, and his name is Boris. Just before she attempts suicide, she sees a young child about to be hit by a car and rescues him. Overwhelmed with guilt, Veronika tries to throw herself in front of a train. Veronika overhears Fyodor’s speech and becomes upset since she appears to be such a woman. Fyodor admonishes the distraught soldier to forget his unfaithful and unworthy girlfriend. She barely misses seeing the injured Volodya, who is about to be admitted to the hospital, before Fyodor says that the hospital is full. When a soldier in the hospital becomes hysterical after he received a letter saying his girlfriend left him for someone else, Veronika rushes to get Fyodor, who is processing the arrival of wounded troops. Mark and Veronika are miserable in their marriage. Veronika works as a nurse in a military hospital run by Boris's father, Fyodor. To escape the German offensive, the family is relocated to Siberia. Veronika and Mark marry, but she despises him, and is in turn despised by the family who considers she betrayed Boris, who they all think (including Veronika) is still alive. Mark makes a pass at her, but she rebuffs him. Veronika and Mark are alone in the apartment when another air raid occurs.
In his final moments, he has a vision of the wedding that he and Veronika never had.īack in Moscow, Boris's cousin Mark tells Veronika he loves her, but she faithfully waits for Boris. Boris saves Volodya’s life, but Boris gets shot. Their commanding officer catches them fighting and assigns them a dangerous reconnaissance mission. Boris's family invites the orphaned Veronika to stay with them.īoris serves at the front and gets into an argument with another soldier, Volodya, who taunts him over a photo of Veronika. Veronika remains in Moscow with her parents, who are killed in a German air raid that also destroys their apartment building. Veronika searches for Boris at the assembly station but misses finding him there too, as he marches off to war. Veronika arrives too late to see Boris at his apartment, but his grandmother gives Veronika the stuffed squirrel. Boris asks his grandmother to give Veronika her birthday gift, a stuffed squirrel toy ("squirrel" is Boris's pet name for Veronika) into which he slides a love note.
Veronika soon learns that Boris volunteered for the army. Hours later, Boris’s cousin Mark wakes him with news that the Germans have invaded. In Moscow, on June 22, 1941, Veronika and her boyfriend Boris watch cranes fly over the city as the sun rises and then sneak back into their families' apartments.