Alexei, Vadim and Vasily celebrated Dmitry's birthday in 1940 by visiting Dmitry's communal. Vasily brought expensive Finnish vodka that he got from "old friend in Kharovsk". Vadim brought large cake that he bought from bakery. Alexei brought four dishes: sliced meat, cheese, onion salad and deviled eggs that he made himself.
The party went success as usual, started from lunch time. Lots of sharing stories, dancing to any songs that comes out from radio, singing happy and lament songs. Everyone felt so happy to able to celebrate Dmitry's birthday, since only his birthday that always clashed with ensemble concerts. And only this year, Dmitry's birthday happened during day off.
Then at evening, Dmitry patted his forehead, as he forgot to taking out mails from the mailbox. He excuse himself to go downstairs, taking out the mails, and gets up again. In his communal, he found Darya's letter among other letters from Khurashuk family. Alexei, Vasily and Vadim start to catch Dmitry's blush and teasing the hell out of it, demanding to know who is Dmitry blushed at. Finally Dmitry admitting that he is actually have long distance relationship with a girl from Belarus, then he showed the letter. Them three are shocked, then teased more but also wishes Dmitry to quickly married her.
Well, the mistake is... Alexei wrote it in diary. Explaining about the birthday party and about Dmitry's relationship. Not only that, Alexei also writing that he recognise Darya was the same little girl he met at orphanage... and he felt happy the girl finding good guy like Dmitry.
So when Vitaly wake up around January 1941, he read the entry that he has missed... and trembled to witness all of Alexei's entry.
At first, Vitaly at first didn't believe the same girl he obsessed is the one Dmitry had relationship with. He was just thinking Alexei was just being dreamer and easily mismatch memories. He has to do checking many times by visiting Dmitry's communal disguised as normal hangout. Dmitry tell more and more of the story about Darya... which hurt Vitaly more. Darya didn't tell about her past with Vitaly at all. She was just telling the harsh life in general, then the rest was telling how the old military chef named Viktor Sarpin adopted her after he lost his wife and son during Civil War.
Vitaly becomes more conflicted. He has been thinking Dmitry as his bestie too. He knew Dmitry isn't the bad guy who ever convince Darya to cheat. It become frequent nightmares in his sleep, where he successfully killing Dmitry but Dmitry kept reviving.
After thinking for months, he hatched the plan: to give Dmitry painless death by poison that he will try to buy at chemical store. But before he do that... June 1941 arrived, and unusually Alexei wakes up and stay wakes up despite he is drafted to war...