Students of a Russian school in Toronto reproduce scenes from the life of Maria Blagoveshchenskaya, a witness to the Stalinist terror, for whom "life under the Soviets was worse than under the Germans during the war." When the truth about the millions of innocently repressed prisoners of war comes out, the childish pride in the Soviet military triumph in World War II cracks. Through dramatic productions and off-screen interviews, students reflect on the consequences of the Stalinist regime. The film calls for an open conversation about the mistakes of the past, the only opportunity to critically assess the direction in which the people of Russia are moving in the current era.