At the darkest hour of World War II, when the Nazi war machine appears all but unstoppable, two women are drafted into the Soviet Air Force to fight the deadliest battle in history.

SYNOPSIS:

1942. Moscow. Our two heroines are responding to an air raid.

Lilya, a Polish Jew, ignores the chaos surrounding her. showing little concern for her own life. Katya, a "good Communist" from the Ukrainian countryside, shows caution. Katya strives to be the model citizen they expect of her, but she must battle her burgeoning lesbian longing for Lilya, creating a deep internal conflict.

The women are soon drafted into the Soviet Air Force. During training in Saratov, Lilya (callsign: White Lily) develops a relationship with her male instructor, Alexei, alienating Katya. As they are thrown into the air war over Stalingrad, Lilya’s reckless disregard for her own safety puts Katya, her wingman, into a tailspin, forcing her to discover a strength she didn’t know she had. When Lilya becomes the first woman in history to score a confirmed kill, the high command reassigns their squadron — to Stalingrad, with Alexei’s unit, much to Katya's dismay.

Lilya is shot down over Stalingrad and forced to evade Nazi soldiers by sneaking about the ruins of the city. This adventure showcases firsthand the real horrors and insanities of war. Lilya returns to her unit a changed woman, accepting Alexei’s proposal of marriage, but breaking Katya’s heart. Their feelings for each other make it hard to keep their emotions out of the war. When Alexei is killed in battle. Lilya emotions get the better of her. She endangers her own life in her beserk rage. Katya brings her back from the brink and certain death — but for how long?

Finally, victory comes to Stalingrad, and Colonel Shestakov orders the women from the front back to Saratov. For Katya, it’s now or never, but her attempts to seduce Lilya backfire, and she is left with the deep sting of rejection. Lilya lives only for revenge now, and is desperate to get back in the fight. As they go before Shestakov, he reveals his blatant sexism, refusing to budge. Driven by the love for her wingman, Katya offers herself to Shestakov in exchange for Lilya’s transfer. She succeeds — but at what cost?

Now the two are caught in the Battle of Kursk — the largest air and armor battle in world history, though never depicted on the silver screen. They enjoy many small victories, though the death toll keeps pace with the stakes, rising ever higher. Lilya is shot down behind enemy lines, presumed dead. A grieving Katya is sent home by her commanding officer, Nikolai Baranov, whose heart is bigger than it may seem.

Her mother reveals a deep-seated prejudice with the ultimate casualty being their relationship. She will not be party to an ‘abomination to God’, and Katya has learnt who she really is, and will fight for it. She leaves a rejected, though stronger woman, determined to find the woman she loves — or die trying.

Katya finds herself in that final battle, but miraculously crashes in one piece. She sits alone in her cockpit, mortally wounded, caressing the white lily in her fingers, which had been taped to her instrument panel through it all. And she slips away.

WHITE LILY