During World War II, while Russian soldiers try to hold back the German onslaught, the leaders of the Third Reich plan an attempt on Stalin's life. The case is assigned to a team called Brandenburg 800 and a Nazi agent embedded in the Soviet army.

Soviet sappers succeed in a major sabotage operation of the railway tracks. However, a German train carrying weapons for the army derails, killing almost all of the saboteurs.

In Moscow, Berezhnoi and his assistants arrive at the address where the body of an evacuated military man has been found. The murdered man is Major Letyagin who, according to eyewitnesses, had recently been living with a young woman.

Commissar Beria scolds Captain Ivan Berezhnoi for not carrying out his order to eliminate Hess. Berezhnoi, however, believes that it is too early to take Hess.

After the explosion and the ensuing fire, the rubble is cleared away. Stalin is personally briefed on the results of the operation and asks for a list of the dead.