Hamburg, Germany by the end of World War II: Nikitin, a lieutenant in the Soviet army, is temporarily stationed near the city. He meets a German teenager named Emma, and the two have a brief, intense affair before he has to leave for home. Many years later, Nikitin is visiting Hamburg by invitation of his German publisher — where he meets Emma once more because she has been asked to translate for him. The old flame flares up again as the now-married, ex-lovers reminisce about the past without indulging their feelings.