Industrial Soviet town in the 1970s is suffering from a cholera epidemic. Zina Shamarina, nicknamed Shamara, is a rebel-spirited woman who lives in a factory dormitory and is desperately in love with Ustin, the man who was one of the bunch that raped her years ago and then married her only to avoid prosecution. When Ustin commences an affair with the new girl in town, Shamara is challenged to regain herself and her place in this community.
