Following the dark days of World War II, Ignat (Vladimir Mashkov), once the epitome of the unstoppable Soviet machine, arrives at a Siberian labor camp where broken-down men are sent. His only chance at salvation is to overcome his wartime trauma, which had affected his performance as a train engineer. Ignat soon becomes obsessed with the legend of a ghost train on the island nearby, and with the help of a German girl, he sets up a dangerous race between his engine and the phantom.