In an isolated, forgotten corner of Russia, a fierce winter and a lethal vodka brew lay siege to a poor village. Unfortunately, the town manager's relentless campaign against alcoholism has no discernible effect on the mortality rate. "Old men go on living," one character observes, "and the young jump the queue for the next life." The shortage of eligible young men compels one despairing mother to initiate a correspondence with a prison inmate on her daughter's behalf. Look closer at this bleak and snowbound landscape, however, and the sturdy bonds and rituals connecting the villagers gradually assume a privileged place in this film. Lidia Bobrova employs a naturalistic approach that, amazingly, adds to the hypnotic effect of this mysterious and ambiguous tale.