Jordan Rose Frye

The city of Vyshny Volochyok: broken roads, snow and fog. The car service station in the suburb of the town where Olya and Vadim live and work, and love each other. Both are well in their thirties, they are simple and serious people, they share the ups and downs in their lives, until a third, superfluous party intrudes: the Internet.

A girl named Mary runs away from all contact with her beloved, avoiding his constant efforts to reach her. It pains Mary to remember the good times they shared because she can’t understand what went wrong. Submerging herself deeper and deeper into her memories, she soon has a hard time distinguishing them from reality. It eventually becomes clear that Mary’s beloved is having such a hard time reaching her because he is no longer among the living. Despite this, he is the only one who can help Mary pulls through the difficulties she is facing, and he accompanies her on her journey every step of the way. Parting is only temporary, and all one needs to do is blink to realize that everything is in fact alright.

What is to be a child to whom parents ask the same question every day: whom does he love more? Mom or dad? What should mom do if she madly loves her son, but circumstances force him to take the child away from his father? What should be done to dad if his son is taken to America forever, and he cannot imagine his life without him? This is a story of choice. When deciding for a child, a parent often does as he is comfortable with. The child agrees, afraid to hurt the parent, but time will pass, he will mature and at some point he will decide for himself. Only the parent from this will be much more painful.

The story is set at the 1972 Munich Olympics where the U.S. team lost the basketball championship for the first time in 36 years. The final moments of the final game have become one of the most controversial events in Olympic history. With play tied, the score table horn sounded during a second free throw attempt that put the U.S. ahead by one. But the Soviets claimed they had called for a time out before the basket and confusion ensued. The clock was set back by three seconds twice in a row and the Russians finally prevailed at the very last. The U.S. protested, but a jury decided in the USSR’s favor and Team USA voted unanimously to refuse its silver medals. The Soviet players have been treated as heroes at home.