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Sputnik

In 1983, two Russian cosmonauts hear something moving outside their spaceship. The ship then crashes in Kazakhstan. The sole survivor is Konstantin Veshnyakov. The military takes Veshnyakov to a military research facility run by Colonel Semiradov.

Veshnyakov cannot remember the crash. The facility's scientist, Yan Rigel, tries and fails to cure the amnesia. Semiradov decides to recruit a controversial psychiatrist named Dr. Tatyana Yuryevna Klimova. Klimova quickly discerns that Veshnyakov shows symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Semiradov shows Klimova that at night, an alien emerges from Veshnyakov's mouth as he sleeps. Semiradov explains the creature emerges every night without Veshnyakov's knowledge, and that it is responsible for Veshnyakov's survival. The facility tried to extract the alien, but it is now symbiotically bonded to Veshnyakov and both will slowly die if separated. Klimova agrees to investigate how to separate Veshnyakov from the alien permanently – much to Rigel's jealous chagrin.

Klimova decides she must test how Veshnyakov's hormones react to stress. She provokes him with accusations of abandoning his son and causing his colleague's death. Afterwards, Klimova asks for Veshnyakov to stay in a normal room during daylight hours instead of a cell, to see how he reacts to normal civilian life. She apologizes to Veshnyakov for her harsh words, and he tells her that he only found out about his son one week before his space mission. He had planned to meet his son after going home, but is now stuck in the facility.

At night, Klimova interacts with the emerged alien from behind protective glass. She notices it fixate on a toy that belongs to Veshnyakov, and daringly removes the glass so she can give the toy to the alien. The creature ignores Klimova and plays with the toy. But when Klimova tries to touch the creature, it attacks her. Soldiers extract Klimova and contain the creature.

Klimova theorizes the alien has merged with Veshnyakov, and it took interest in the toy because it reminds Veshnyakov of his son. She requests to take Veshnyakov to Moscow for treatment. Semiradov reveals this is impossible. His superiors in Moscow want to terminate Veshnyakov, and Semiradov has been lying about their research progress to keep Veshnyakov alive.

While reviewing surveillance footage of the alien, Klimova realizes it is edited. She confronts Rigel, and he takes her to see Semiradov feeding live humans to the alien at night. Rigel reveals that the creature needs cortisol from a living, terrified human to keep itself and Veshnyakov alive.

Disgusted, Klimova asks Veshnyakov to meet in secret. Veshnyakov incapacitates his guards, and Klimova shows him the bodies of the alien's victims. She explains the alien chose Veshnyakov as its host because his co-pilot had Addison's disease. Veshnyakov reveals he can remember everything the creature experiences, but has been hiding it because he wants the Moscow authorities to approve his release. Klimova is horrified that Veshnyakov could accept sacrificing human lives, but Veshnyakov explains that he will do anything to return to his son and his mother.

Semiradov summons Klimova and reveals he knows she spied on the feeding. He defends his actions by explaining the alien is a powerful weapon the Soviets need to maintain peace, and that he only feeds it prisoners who have committed monstrous crimes. Semiradov allows Klimova to watch another feeding. However, Klimova requests to enter the feeding area and sings Veshnyakov's favourite song to the alien. At first, the creature softens and backs away. But when the prisoner tries to run, the creature kills him anyways.

Klimova decides she must stop the experiment and help Veshnyakov escape. She convinces Rigel to help her. Then she convinces Veshnyakov that Semiradov will never let him leave. She plans to inject Veshnyakov with hormones that simulate Addison's disease, tricking the alien into rejecting Veshnyakov and permanently separating them. Rigel gives Klimova and Veshnyakov a set of car keys, and then confesses everything to the Moscow authorities by telephone just before Semiradov murders him.

Semiradov's soldiers intercept Klimova and Veshnyakov. Cornered, Veshnyakov injects himself with the hormones prematurely, forcing the alien to emerge and attack the soldiers. The resulting chaos allows Klimova to drag Veshnyakov into the car and drive off. But Veshnyakov begins dying, and Klimova realizes he still needs the alien to live.

Klimova allows Semiradov to catch up, knowing he will bring the injured alien to Veshnyakov. But before he can, Veshnyakov takes voluntary control of the alien and uses it to kill Semiradov and his men.

Klimova spots trucks coming from Moscow thanks to Rigel. However, Veshnyakov decides he must die with the creature to avoid more killing, and shoots himself in the head. Klimova survives and adopts Veshnyakov's son.