Andrey Rudyka

Russia, XI century. Grand Duke Yaroslav Mudryy gives his daughter Anna in marriage to the king of the Franks. Ostromir, a mercenary who previously served in the Varangian guard of the Emperor of Byzantium, must protect the princess on a dangerous journey across Europe. Along the way, Ostromir and Anna fall in love with each other.

In the freezing cold of occupied Leningrad, a group of children is sent to a so-called “children’s shelter” — a place where hunger, brutal punishment, and forced labor await, and where they are even used as blood donors for wounded German soldiers. Fear, despair, and the constant threat of death haunt their every moment. Yet, amidst the cruelty, they find strength and begin secretly planning their escape. Every small act of defiance becomes a spark of hope. In the face of unimaginable terror, they fight to survive and cling to the fragile possibility of freedom.