Yuri Dmitriev uncovers the buried truths that the current Russian authorities desperately want to erase. After an extensive search, he stumbles upon a mass grave in the pine forests of Karelia, in Northwest Russia, revealing the dark secrets of Stalin's 'Great Terror' in 1937, where thousands were covertly executed. In a relentless pursuit, Dmitriev takes it upon himself to unearth the identities of those lost souls from the archives and diligently organizes commemorative events for their surviving relatives. Through his unwavering efforts, the long-suffering families finally learn the fate of their vanished loved ones. Dmitriev, who was abandoned as a baby in a maternity clinic, becomes a man with a mission: 'As a human being, one should have the right to know their origins and the resting place of their family.' While foreign nations increasingly acknowledge this 'archaeologist of terror,' Dmitriev faces mounting suspicion within Russia, accused of colluding with the West. Eventually, he is unjustly arrested on fabricated charges. Tragically precise, Dmitriev foresees the fate of both himself and his homeland.
—Mokum Film Distributie (translated from Dutch to English by ChatGPT)