The last days of the war in 1945: Thousands of people flee westward in fear of the Red Army. Among them are Florian, a German deserter, Emilia, a young Polish woman, and Joana, a Lithuanian nurse. They form an emergency community, each harboring a secret they are unwilling to reveal. The war has taught them distrust. In the freezing winter, the small group of refugees chooses the life-threatening route across the frozen lagoon. In Gotenhafen, it is said, the Wilhelm Gustloff awaits to take them westward. But even there, they are far from safe.