In his motherland's race to claim the first human spaceflight, cosmonaut candidate Lev Leps is assigned to a secret project which involves an outrageous experiment.

Lev takes Irina through the cosmonaut training routine. While she surprises Lev and Anya in some aspects, other areas give her trouble.

As the voices opposing Irina's existence become louder and louder, Lev comes up with a special plan to help overcome her fear of heights.

With less than a month until launch, Lev takes Irina into town for a little fun before she dives into days of solitude training.

While Irina undergoes her solitude training, a visitor from Sangrad with special interest in N44 has come to watch the candidates train.

A terrible dream leaves Irina shaken and unable to continue training. As Anya and Lev try to get her back on track, there's even more bad news about the test flight.

Though Lev is confined due to his actions, the launch must go on as scheduled. As Irina takes to the skies, those on the ground pray for a successful mission.

Now that the test launch is over, Lev is given new orders. His training pulls him apart from Irina who falls into Anya's care over New Years.

An incident during training sheds some light on Roza's fierce attitude. And after a long time apart, Irina has something important to tell Lev.

Irina and Lev spend some time together before they're pulled apart. As the launch date quickly closes in, the decision is made as to who will pilot the first human spaceflight.

As Lev prepares for space, he discovers that Irina has been lying to him. Worried about her, Lev expresses his gratitude in the only way that he can.