Two men arrest Nicholas Salmanovitch Rubashov in the middle of the night. One man is younger, and the other one is older. The older man is considerate while, the younger one is vicious. This symbolizes the brutality of the new generation that has taken over the Communist Party. Rubashov believes that the intellectual prowess of Communists who led the revolution is unparalleled. That belief makes him despise the younger generation. The two men put Rubashov in a prison cell where he starts communicating with prisoner No 402. The prisoners tap against the wall to talk to one another. In the cell, he starts reflecting on his contribution to the party. The past haunts him. Rubashov believes that the party leader has betrayed him the way he (Rubashov) betrayed fellow communists.
Rubashov is stunned after learning that his friend, Ivanov, will conduct his first hearing. Initially, the two men shared a common ideology. Ivanov pleads with Rubashov to confess to the charges in vain. At the next hearing, Gletkin joins Ivanov to interrogate Rubashov. The conflict ensues between Ivanov and Gletkin. Ivanov wants to use rationality to convince Rubashov to confess to the charges, but Gletkin intends to use force and cruelty for Rubashov to admit. The conflict between the two officers signifies the difference of ideologies between older communists and the newer ones. Ultimately, Ivanov is executed, symbolizing the change of guard from the older to the newer generation.
When Rubashov learns about Ivanov’s death, he decides to confess to the charges. However, Gletkin decides to subject him to torture despite confession. The confession does not stop the state from executing him. The juxtaposition between the moral decency older generation and the brutality of the newer generation embodies the sufferings experienced by revolutionaries under the new leadership of Joseph Stalin. Stalin betrayed his fellow former revolutionaries and tortured them to death.
