About the title
Masha Yablochkina, until recently a Leningrad schoolgirl, comes to railway courses after the brutal blockade winter of 1941–1942, hoping to survive and gain strength. From there she is sent to build the Shlisselburg railway line, which connects the city to the mainland and lies in plain sight of German artillery. This is how the heroine ends up in the 48th steam locomotive column of the NKPS special reserve.