Elderly Aleksandra (Galina Vishnevskaya) visits her Russian soldier grandson, Denis (Vasily Shevtsov), at the Chechen war front, providing comfort as she tours his army base. While there, Aleksandra surprises everyone by climbing into an armored vehicle and brandishing a Kalashnikov rifle. Afterward, venturing outside, she meets a Chechen woman in town who bemoans the number of occupying troops, then has other adventures. All the while, Denis ponders the reason for her unexpected appearance.