After completing the first plane, Chief Engineer Kirillov departs for Crimea with his wife, leaving their young son in a village with his grandmother.
When World War II breaks out, Kirillov rushes back, only to find that the factory, which never ceased production, has been ordered to evacuate its staff and equipment beyond the Volga.
When Lunina is killed by enemy forces, Kirillov is falsely detained but is eventually freed by Shadurov, returning to the plant where dedicated workers, including women and children, labor tirelessly to resume production in the barren steppes.
Despite enormous challenges, the factory ramps up production to meet Stalin’s urgent demands, increasing output from one to three planes daily.
In a final, bittersweet moment, he is honored in Moscow and later finds his son in the village, symbolizing hope amid wartime sacrifice.