Glory To The Nation

A border control inspector’s morals are challenged after meeting a woman among countless war refugees.

Grigory, an inspector of the Ustinovka border control post, has been spending his miserable and lonely life mindlessly checking the documents of the passing-through citizens day by day. The number of people leaving the country is increasing daily, due to it being in a state of war. While all men aged from 18 to 60 lose their lives protecting their country, Grigory is the deciding factor in their wives’ and children’s successful escape to safety.

After the usual daily check-in with Anton, the sergeant assigned to the control post, Grigory begins the familiar procedure of checking the documents. While the majority of his work goes smoothly, the inspector must make tough decisions of declining the crossing of some people. His standard routine is interrupted by Daria, a young woman with the only spark of happiness Grigory has seen among the line of devastated citizens.

The young woman becomes the only thing he can think about. Not only Daria reveals she is a medical worker who does constant runs through the border, but she also leaves him a token – a sunflower from her bouquet. Grigory awaits to see Daria again the next day, the last time she will be crossing before leaving her home forever.

The inspector comes back the next day to his mundane working environment with a single change – a sunflower on his desk. The very first person to enter the post is Daria. At first, Grigory is excited to see her again, but his dreams quickly crash after she reveals her husband is following her and begs the inspector to let him pass through.

Grigory must make a tough decision between strictly following the rules and fulfilling Daria’s wish. Will he violate his principles and change the life of probably the only person he cares about?