In 1983, Soviet cosmonaut Konstantin Veshnyakov survives a catastrophic return from space while his crew-mate Kirill Averchenko dies under horrifying circumstances. Colonel Semiradov recruits Dr. Tatyana Yuryevna Klimova to examine the traumatized survivor at a remote research facility. She soon discovers an alien organism emerging from Veshnyakov each night, bound to him in a symbiotic relationship. As her investigation deepens, hidden experiments, political ambitions, and increasingly disturbing feeding practices reveal the true cost of keeping both host and creature alive, pushing Klimova toward a desperate solution.