It is February 1945. At the beginning of the sequel, the reader sees Lana on a train, returning from Vilnius to Leningrad. Lana's lover Marek, whose child she is carrying, is fleeing from the Soviets when the opportunity presents itself. Marek rejects the idea of living under the Soviet regime. Lana is a Soviet patriot. She is pregnant with Marek's baby but will not leave her country or her orphaned, young siblings. Lana's dream is to graduate medical school in Leningrad and to become a fully licensed doctor. She is determined to graduate from medical school, but the war interrupts her studies.