During the height of the Cold War, a group of Soviet soldiers finds themselves trapped in the middle of an Afghan desert, grappling not only with the enemy but also with internal tensions that threaten their mission. Commander Daskal, a man feared and respected, leads his squad on a crucial mission involving the use of a modern battle tank, but what starts as a military operation turns into a survival nightmare.
After a confrontation with Afghan guerrillas, the tank is damaged and the crew is forced to abandon the vehicle. As they venture into the inhospitable landscape, the group faces difficult decisions as the members begin to crumble under the pressure of the desert and the uncertainty of their fate. The tension heightens when the soldiers must confront not only their external enemies but also their own insecurities and the brutality of war.
Throughout the journey, cultural differences between the Soviet soldiers and the Afghans are revealed, showing that amid chaos, humanity can prevail. With a visceral focus on the horrors of war and the moral dilemmas that arise in extreme situations, this intense story takes us beyond the battlefield, exploring the nature of man, loyalty, and what it truly means to fight for a cause.