Veronika and Boris come together in Moscow shortly before World War II. Walking along the river, they watch cranes fly overhead, and promise to rendezvous before Boris leaves to fight. Boris misses the meeting and is off to the front lines, while Veronika waits patiently, sending letters faithfully. After her house is bombed, Veronika moves in with Boris' family, into the company of a cousin with his own intentions.

A young man, Russian by nationality, goes to a Turkmen bride in a remote border village, not knowing that his large family decides to surprise him and also goes to Turkmenistan to meet the bride and her parents. The chain of comic misunderstandings ends with an episode of a skirmish on the border with saboteurs.

Alexei Kostrov goes a difficult way through luck and defeat to the cherished goal - to become a test pilot.