In the early spring of 1942, Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union. In the forests of Russia, the partisans try to survive the winter. They can only survive in the forests because they cannot go back to their village, as the area is infested by the SS and Latvian police. Gregory and a few men from their poor village join the Red Army. Not only the men have to struggle to survive a Nazi occupation, but also many of the women, children and the elderly.