By some strange and tragic twist of fate, a retired military officer, Major Kotov, inexplicably ends up in the body of the seasoned prisoner Manzyrev. A transport with prisoners bombed by German aviation drives the surviving inmates into the rear. But the front advances too fast—so Kotov is already in the German rear. Around him are enemies; behind his back hangs a death sentence handed down by a Soviet court. He has no friends and none are to be expected—among others, Manzyrev looks like a German lackey. Soviet intelligence and the underground in the city receive an order to eliminate the former prisoner. Will the knowledge and experience of a former officer of an elite special unit help him get out of this situation alive? To cross the front line in order to deliver important materials to his own side and save Soviet soldiers who are still in the enemy rear?