Severely wounded soldiers are brought to a frontline field hospital, including one with unexploded ordnance still lodged in his torso, whom the doctors must literally ‘defuse’. Though cases like this are rare, frontline surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses still work under constant threat to their lives, doing more than seems humanly possible to give their patients a chance to live.
The film immerses the viewer in the daily reality of a military field hospital: the medics’ exhausted faces, their nervous laughter after blasts, and their gratitude at hearing a simple «thank you» from soldiers.
Unit commander Yuri Brovko is a pillar of support for all. He cares for the wounded and ensures that medical staff have the conditions they need to work and rest. Wounded soldiers recall their pain and fear as they were evacuated under the threat of drone strikes. Yet as soon as they are back on their feet, they ask to be cleared to return to their comrades.
Viewers see life in a field hospital through the eyes of war correspondent and film author Anastasia Mikhailovskaya and director Artyom Somov.