It's late autumn in the city, snow falling at night. The apartmenet building is deserted. The phone doesn't work, the electricity and water are off. His mother and uncle haven't returned. Four-year-old Romochka is all alone. Hunger drives him out into the snowy streets. His mother's voice rings in his ears. Don't talk to strangers. Overlooked by passers-by, he follows a wild street dog to her lair in a deserted basement on the edge of the city. He joins four puppies suckling at their mothers teats.