Led by Captain Ponomarev, the nuclear-powered icebreaker "Lenin" skirts New Zemlya and comes into contact with the Arctic.
There, it charts a long route through the ice while, between stops along the voyage, scientists on board conduct surveys and drilling. Views of the "Lenin" at sea and in the pack ice alternate with fascinating images of its interior, its command and control panels, and its atomic engine, which develops a power of 44,000 hp and consumes only 15 kilograms of nuclear fuel for an entire cruise.