In Moscow, on June 22, 1941, Veronika and her boyfriend Boris watch cranes fly over the city as the sun rises and then sneak back into their families’ apartments. Hours later, Boris’s cousin Mark wakes him with news that the Germans have invaded.
Veronika soon learns that Boris volunteered for the army. Boris asks his grandmother to give Veronika her birthday gift, a stuffed squirrel toy (“squirrel” is Boris’s pet name for Veronika), into which he slides a love note. Veronika arrives too late to see Boris at his apartment, but his grandmother gives Veronika the stuffed squirrel.
Veronika searches for Boris at the assembly station but misses finding him there too, as he marches off to war. Veronika remains in Moscow with her parents, who are killed in a German air raid that also destroys their apartment building. Boris’s family invites the orphaned Veronika to stay with them.
Boris’s cousin Mark tells Veronika he loves her, but she faithfully waits for Boris. Veronika and Mark are alone in the apartment when another air raid occurs. Mark makes a pass at her, but she rebuffs him. Furious at being rejected, he rapes her. Veronika and Mark marry, but she despises him, and in turn, she is despised by the family who considers her to have betrayed Boris.
At the front, Boris gets into an argument with another soldier, Volodya, who taunts him over a photo of Veronika. Their commanding officer catches them fighting and assigns them a dangerous reconnaissance mission. Boris saves Volodya’s life, but Boris gets shot. In his final moments, he has a vision of the wedding that he and Veronika would never have.
To escape the German offensive, the family is relocated to Siberia. Veronika works as a nurse in a military hospital run by Boris’s father, Fyodor. Mark and Veronika are miserable in their marriage. When a soldier in the hospital becomes hysterical after receiving a letter saying his girlfriend left him for someone else, Veronika rushes to get Fyodor, who is processing the arrival of wounded troops.
She barely misses seeing the injured Volodya, who is about to be admitted to the hospital, before Fyodor says that the hospital is full. Fyodor admonishes the distraught soldier to forget his unfaithful and unworthy girlfriend. Veronika overhears Fyodor’s speech and becomes upset since she appears to be such a woman.
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Overwhelmed with guilt, Veronika tries to throw herself in front of a train. Just before she attempts suicide, she sees a young child about to be hit by a car and rescues him. The boy has been separated from his mother, and his name is Boris. Veronika takes the boy home and looks for her squirrel toy from Boris.
Boris’s sister Irina spitefully tells Veronika that Mark is giving the toy to his mistress at her birthday party. Veronika races over to the party, where a partygoer has finally found the note that Boris hid. Veronika grabs it, and in voice-over, Boris narrates the final tender love note to her.
As the war ends and Veronika’s journey of love and loss comes full circle, the resilience and hope depicted in “The Cranes Are Flying” offer a poignant reminder of the human spirit. Watch this remarkable film for a moving portrayal of courage, sacrifice, and the enduring power of love. The Cranes Are Flying Watch Free now and immerse yourself in this timeless classic.