Two Russian soldiers – a fresh recruit named Vanya and a hardened veteran named Sacha – are taken hostage by Chechen guerillas after a deadly ambush that leaves all of their comrades dead. Their captor, a battle-weary village elder, wants to use them as a bartering tool to get back his own son, held prisoner by the Russian army. But when the trade goes sour and all trust is broken, Vanya and Sacha realize their hours are numbered and attempt to escape before they’re forced to join their comrades in death.