[3] In 1937, Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a student who has just passed the entrance exams for Kyiv State University; to celebrate, she goes to a shooting range with her friends including a female classmate named Masha.

A Jewish doctor named Boris attempts to court her, but she rejects him and leaves to fight on the Eastern Front following the German invasion.

While defending the city of Odessa, she is injured and Makarov drags her to safety to a local hospital, where Boris has volunteered as a military doctor.

After awakening, Lyudmila manages to get Boris to sign her papers so that she can return to the front lines, but finds out that Makarov has died in battle and the Soviets are retreating to Sevastopol.

Lyudmila's military record makes her a vital propaganda tool for the Soviets, who parade her around the world to collect funds for the fight against fascism.

Encouraged by a meeting with the American First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lyudmila attempts to embrace her femininity by wearing a dress during a speech in New York.

After the success of Lyudmila's speech, she is approached by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, who eventually writes a song based on her exploits.

Serhiy Mokrytskyi, who is better known as a cinematographer, served as director; after his arrival, the plot was altered to more closely match Pavlichenko's life.