Based on real history, it reveals the unknown truth of genocide, a heroic chapter about love and honor, resistance and survival. On the eve of World War II, as Stalin's communist ambitions expanded, the implementation of agricultural collectivization caused a severe famine in Ukraine. A young painter Yuri (played by Max Irons) struggled to survive in an environment of famine, imprisonment and torture, trying to save his childhood sweetheart Nataka (played by Samantha Barks) from this "hunger massacre". During this tragic period, Yuri escaped from a Soviet prison and joined the resistance against the Bolsheviks, fighting hard to see Nataka again and fight for the freedom of Ukraine.