Snow, snow, snow

A rural village in 19th-century Russia during the festive Christmas season. Vasili, a prosperous merchant and member of the local traders’ guild, sets out with his loyal servant Nikita to purchase the Goryachkino forest on a bitterly cold winter day. Eager to secure the large profits the forest promises, Vasili urges their sleigh forward across the thickly snow-covered roads, accompanied by Nikita and their faithful horse, Zetty. But the journey proves arduous—they repeatedly lose their way in the deep snow, wandering in confusion until they arrive not at Goryachkino, but at a neighboring village, Grishkino. After a brief rest, they set out once more. As darkness falls and the wind intensifies, the snowfield grows colder and more desolate—until they lose their way again, this time in an unknown place.