Upon arriving at the winter hunting cabin in the remote taiga, he discovers a seriously ill, emaciated girl named Ela from Moscow.
Goga had left to go fishing, intending to test a new lure crafted from a war medal he had traded from a veteran for a bottle of port.
Realizing that the approaching winter will bring severe cold and make survival even harder, Akim decides to take a risky course of action — heading to find people.
Ela spends seven days in a local hospital due to a doctor’s recommendation not to travel immediately, while Akim recovers using traditional forest remedies.
Before Ela boards her plane, she and Akim experience an emotional farewell, and he gives her Goga’s wedding ring wrapped in a five-ruble note.