Director Karen Shakhnazarov adapts author Ilya Boyashov's novel TANKMAN to tell the story of a World War II-era Russian squadron that comes under attack from a powerful Nazi tank, and their efforts to defeat it as the conflict draws to an agonizing close. As the depleted Soviet forces push back ever harder against advancing Axis troops, a mammoth fascist tank dubbed the White Tiger emerges repeatedly through the fog of war, decimating everything in its path before vanishing as quickly as it appeared. In response, the Soviet military constructs a specially-modified version of their own T-34 tank to strike back at the White Tiger. At the helm of the Soviet tank is a former tank crewman who barely survived massive burns experienced on the battlefield. His extensive injuries have completely wiped out his memory, but his knowledge of tanks is still unrivaled by anyone in the Russian army. Using that knowledge, and with an experienced crew at his command, the enigmatic captain sets out on a determined mission to find the White Tiger, and end its reign of terror.