An unusual illness — fear of movement — comes over Dmitry Shostakovich, depriving him not only of performing, but also of composing music. In order to receive a diagnosis from American doctors, the composer embarks on a journey from Europe to America aboard a legendary Soviet cruise ship. The origins of his illness take us into the past, and everything snowballs from here: from breaking up with his wife to a denunciation of him by his cast-off lover; from an orchestra withdrawing to rehearse a new symphony, to an unexpected call from Stalin. The symphony will be performed, but at what cost?