In 1946, Stalin calls all White Russian émigrés who fled to the West after the Bolshevik Russian Revolution of 1917, back to the USSR in order to help rebuild the devastated motherland in the aftermath of the Second World War and offers them citizenship. Among a group of French émigrés is the doctor Alexei Golovin (Menshikov), who believes in Stalin's promises of a peaceful new beginning, his French wife Marie (Bonnaire), and their young son Serjoscha. The atmosphere on the ship taking them to Russia is jovial, with drinking and singing.
Following World War II, in 1946, Stalin persuades White Russian émigrés who had fled to France after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 to return to the USSR to contribute to rebuilding their devastated homeland. A group of French émigrés, including doctor Alexei Golovin (Menshikov), his wife Marie (Bonnaire), and their son Serjoscha, are among those who believe in Stalin's promises of a peaceful future. The atmosphere on the ship traveling to Russia is lively, with drinking and singing.