In January 1918, three volunteer nurses set off for a field hospital near the frontier. They treat their decision not only as the fulfilment of a patriotic duty but also as a romantic adventure. The 17-year-old Zosia has additional motivation. She hopes she finds her brother Paweł somewhere near the front. When the girls reach the hospital, they soon find out about the very difficult conditions in which they are about to work. Already on the first day they are sent to a nearby town to collect missing dressings. Taking advantage of the situation Zosia feverishly looks for Paweł. Unfortunately, as a result of the increasing artillery fire, the sisters have to return to the hospital. Panic-struck preparations for evacuation begin. The nurses decide to stay in place and do not return to the hospital. They do not know yet that with the coming of the Bolsheviks they will have to face perhaps the heaviest struggle in their entire lives.