Ivan is sent to the Gulag for 20 years after his neighbor anonymously denounces him as a traitor.
After his release and rehabilitation, Ivan spends the next 40 years as the perfect model Communist:
- Never misses a Party meeting
- Pays his dues
- Quotes Lenin at every opportunity
Now an old man on his deathbed, Ivan is visited by his neighbor Vasily—also elderly, consumed by guilt.
"Ivan!" Vasily cries. "It was me! I reported you all those years ago! I can't live with the guilt. Please—tell me how to earn your forgiveness!"
Ivan slowly opens his eyes.
"There is... one way, Vasily."
"Anything, Ivan! Anything!"
"I will forgive you," Ivan whispers, "if you beat me. Right here. Right now."
"Ivan! I couldn't! You're a dying man!"
"Beat me," Ivan says, "or I will die without forgiving you."
Sobbing, Vasily agrees. He strikes the frail old man, screaming:
"I'm sorry, Ivan! Please forgive me!"
Suddenly, the bedroom door is kicked open. Two KGB agents burst in.
The lead agent points at Vasily:
"We got the anonymous tip! We were told a traitor was in here, beating a loyal old Communist to death!"