Plot

It's April of 1986. Pripyat, Ukraine. A core meltdown occurred at Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Power Plant. Over thirty people died during the blast but the estimated death toll as a result of the radiation fallout will reach a four-digit number. This accident will be considered the world's largest ecological disaster. Set at ground zero of a catastrophe, this film will reveal the details of the Chernobyl event. The shocking news of the explosion at the nuclear plant has spread, as the world watched the tragedy in fear and confusion. Hearts went out to those who displayed selfless courage and integrity in the initial efforts to stabilize the reactor power. But some were too busy being in love to notice what had just happened in nearby Chernobyl. The disaster has faded into the background - This is an account of love and loss, bravery and supernatural stoicism in the face of unbeatable odds.—Film.ua

The movie depicts the life story of two young sisters, the blonde and appealing doctor Maryana, and her younger tomboyish adolescent sister Alya. Both descent from a military family, as their father is a major in the Soviet Helicopter Force, and a veteran from the Afghanistan war, while their grandfather is a highly-decorated combattant of the Great Patriotic War against the Nazi's. On April 25th, 1986, Maryana drags Alya along to drive for the town of Prypiat, to meet up with her boyfriend Igor, a children's doctor in the local hospital. Taking a shortcut, their car breaks down only a few dozen meters of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, moments before the reactor core of the No. 4 Unit explodes, blowing red hot chunks of graphite all over the place - and in close proximity to the sisters and their dog, Ricky. The next morning, their father arrives nearby on direct orders and dispatches Private Pavel aka 'Pasha' to his aunt Vanya, where his daughters would reside. Both girls arrived in the morning, on foot, with Maryana feeling nausea and dizzyness. Nevertheless, she rushes to the hospital to find Igor, only to learn he left for Kiev last night. Seeing the wounded technicians and firefighters being brought in, Maryana, despite her own peril, joins the hospital staff to help out, leaving alya to take care of herself. She meets Pavel, and both quickly develop a sort of romantic report, before the soldier has to head back. The same evening, Vanya tells her niece that Maryana apparently fainted while taking the injured to the local airport, as they get evacuated to Moscow. Joining the hospital, she finds Sergei, a mutual friend and colleague of Maryana and Igor, and learns her sister got radiation sickness, as did he. That same moment, the announcement is made to evacuate the city. With her father still in the vicinity, Alya has permission to stay behind as the rest is evacuated. To soothe a grandmother, she agrees, a bit foolishly, to take care of the burial of their landlord, as to prevent the old woman to take it along. Meanwhile, Igor arrives in Kiev, and tells his potential grandfather-in-law he basically ran away. Instead of giving the frightened young man an earful, the old man dons his uniform vest and begins to make soup (as Igor 'must be starving from running away from his patients and duties), which, as he hoped, stirred Igor to set things right...

The Major volunteers to take a dangerous mission for himself, consisting of bringing a chemical specialist straight over the open reactor pit to take a set of precise measurements. As the flight goes well for the first part and the beginning of the hovering, the helicopter, as they descent, begins to lose power as the massive radiation tears the electrical systems to shreds. Before anyone can react, the helicopter veers off, hits the ventilation stack and crashes into the pit. The same day, a group, including private Pasha, join up with Vanya's house, but cannot find Alya; she hides under the bed, afraid she'd be taken away against her will. When the soldiers are gone, leaving Pasha behind, both youngsters meet up, with Pasha blurting out Alya's father's dead. This devastates Alya, to the point she has severe emotional outburst, to the point she wants to have sex with him, but Pasha, who's an orphan, knows what she is going through and brings her somehow to her senses, before having to leave to return to his unit, promising to come for her. A few hours later, Pasha's unit finds itself on the ground floor of the reactor building of the No 3. unit, and volunteers for the duty of liquidator, as this offers him a chance to go home (and take Alya with him). However, his first and only trip goes terribly wrong, to the point he accidently kills his fellow soldier, after the latter snapped in fear and almost chocked Pasha. Against better judgement, he tries to save the soldier, who fell into the pit on a wrecked roof section. Pasha's platoon lieutenant finds them as they fall together on the toop roof of the building, and without taking his own exposure into account, helps to drag both men back to the shelter. The next morning, Pasha's condition leaves the field medic with little doubt: Pavel is that irradiated he suffers from accute radiation sickness. Overhearing the commander discussing with his lieutenant (who tries to keep his own sickness hidden) to send him to Moscow, Pavel sneaks away as soon as he is left alone, knowing this will be seen as desertion. Despite his condition, only one thing burns in Pasha's heart: Alya.

As Prypiat is evacuated, looters and poachers scour the homes, including aunt Vanya's, forcing Alya to go into hiding. The trio, a woman, a man and a skulking nerd, are chased off by the police force. The chaos leaves the hiding place barricaded. It is not until Pasha, dodging the radiation counters and the livestock patrols (sent in to kill all animals out of fear they will contaminate the area as well) , frees Alya, but also leaves her to suffer another blow: Ricky the dog died in Alya's arms. Igor meanwhile arrives back in Prypiat, or rather, the borders to the newly established exclusion zone, and gets drafted with the local medical staff. There he finds an NCO who's worried about his child, who turns out to suffer from progenitis, and is in need of surgery. The father, heartbroken, feels he failed as a father and as the child is prepped, spirits away in grief. Having no other option, Alya and Pasha roam the deserted city, looting shops for better clothes for Pasha and a white wedding-dress like short dress for Alya, as they wait for the night to come. That same evening, before they will try to sneak out, they almost get caught, when a drunken engineer drops in on them, but as the police force notices his stupor, drives off. Alya gets her hair done, much to Pasha's delight, as they further discuss their future, and babies. Hiding in a phone booth, Pasha carves their names into the back wall. Alya feels however Pasha is hiding something and fears he does not love her. Pasha admits he suffered radiation poisoning and 'cannot be a husband'. Alya does not believe it and taunts him to prove it. Sharing a first kiss, both youngsters are so nervous, neither seems to know what to do. Only after she playfully shows a beauty spot atop her left breast, it triggers Pasha. Both decide to spend the night somewhere indoors, sharing their love, ignorant of the still-glowing reactor in the distance. Afterwards, Alya drops in her sleep 'he was wrong about not being able to "be a husband" for her' and dozes off. That same night, Pasha begins to feel the remission is wearing off and the dizziness, nausea and loss of physical strength occurs. Stumbling upon the owner of the appartment who hung himself (the Navy NCO as the viewer sees after Pasha and Alya left), Pasha spurs Alya to get dressed, as they have to leave in a hurry; Pasha confides he must get to a hospital fast, but omits the suicide.

The next day, Pasha stumbles upon the two male looters, with the nerd shooting the older man in the chest and heading off. Pasha gets mistaken for the looters by the police patrol and, if not for Alya, would not only have been arrested, but also, as he hears over the radio, be exposed as a deserter. The police finds the log of the actual looters shortly after, discovering the woman was murdered, by the nerd, who also stabs the lieutenant leading the patrol. The latter however is able to shoot the nerd in the back, ending their crimes once and for all. Pasha and Alya in the meantime arrive at dusk at another farm, but his condition deteriorates rapidly. Unwilling to abandon her, she pulls the unconcious Pasha onto a cart and walks off, trying to stay strong. Meanwhile, Pasha's own platoon leader finally succumbs to the effects of his own radiation sickness, as he begins to lose his eyesight. He's taken onto a bus to the checkpoint (where Igor just delivered a baby), which also crosses the cart with Pasha and the exhausted Alya. She pleads to save him, and the officer in charge takes Pasha and Alya in, to hand him over to the DA. The lieutenant does not want to hear of it, especially as he saw his bravery and commitment, and arranges to have him and the girl to be taken along with him. Unbeknownst to either of them, they cross Igor, who boards the bus for Chernobyl, to assist the medical staff there, while Alya accompanies Pasha into the waiting ambulance. Grandfather in the meantime died, having been heart-stricken following the news of his son's death, leaving Alya nowhere to go to, so she tries to live on as best she can, selling her few jewels and possessions to buy essentials. Maryana desperatly tries to leave her bed, worried sick about her grandfather, father and her sister, unaware the former are all dead, and her sister is actually nearby...

A few days later, Alya sneaks into Hospital No.6, to see Pasha. Pleading with the head warden, she gets 10 minutes with him that same night, having dressed herself up and doing her hair and make-up. Alya in the meantime realizes she is pregnant, and tells Pasha this, while outside the May Day celebrations reach their final stage, but hides that she, too, is suffering from radiation sickness. The next day, Pasha dies... And Alya learns that she missed Maryana, her sister, who was at the same hospital, and died that very same morning. The head warden accompanies Alya as both are buried in a steel casket, covered over in concrete, stating 'she better cries, or have her heart burst'. A few more days later, Alya is released from the warden's custody, and travels back to Kiev. There, she is summoned to the local hospital. Clearly suffering the effects of radiation poisoning, she hears that she will be forced to abortion, given the concerns of her pregnancy and radiation sickness, and the fact she's only 17 and a minor, means she's not entitled to self-determination. Overhearing other women in her ward talk about their own upcoming abortions and how some refused, fleeing to the Crimea and giving birth to healthy children at their own life's expense, Alya makes a desparate choice and flees the hospital...

The movie ends in the present day, and a group of tourists visit the exclusion zone and the town of Prypiat. Among them, as a raven-haired young woman with stunning green eyes. She walks into a street corner, finding a now-dilapidated phone booth. She spots the carved names 'Pasha + Alya' and stops right there. Then, she pulls open her backpack, and brings out a white-dressed doll: the doll of her mother, Alya.