Summary

Soviet Union, Moscow, 3 June 1949 – Jekabs Duvakin, during the Great Patriotic War, helped to demolish factories, refineries, and villages, so they could not be taken by the Germans. Now in 1949, Jekabs, as leader of a demolition crew, must blow up a church – the massive and beautiful Church of Sancta Sophia, with five cupolas. He doesn’t believe in God, and knows the Communist regime has officially declared that there is no God, but still, he feels unsure about blowing up a church. He tries to convince himself that the church is a relic of the past, and standing in the way of progress. Given the brutality of the Communist regime, Jekabs doesn’t want to walk away from the job, for he has his wife and daughter to think of, as well as the promise of early retirement.

Outside, a film crew and large crowd...