War crimes haunt the residents of Bucha, years after Russian occupation. And yet, among the bodies and rubble, they band together with a determination to carry on. Children rehearse school plays, widows rebuild their houses and couples begin married life even as soldiers return to the front – perhaps never to return. Nothing can prepare people for life in a society shaped by war and, as time marches on, fissures in communities become increasingly evident. Is democracy strong enough to hold a people together? Following their acclaimed 2022 film When Spring Came to Bucha, Mila Teshaieva and Marcus Lenz continue to trace the city’s fight for survival. A tapestry of stories and characters reveal a precarious existence marked by devastation, uncertainty and a longing for peace.