A writer in 1930s Moscow has his work banned and is expelled from the official union, leaving him without income. He then writes a novel about a mysterious dark visitor and gradually starts confusing his real life with the story.

Maks and Anna's lives are destroyed by the theft of their only three-month-old child. Six years later, Anna finds the strength to start living again, and Maks does not give up and continues to search for his son.