Watch MoviestoWatch. June 22, 1941. The day began as usual at a museum on the western border of the Soviet Union, but in the afternoon a bloodied horseman burst into the museum courtyard. It was the commander of the guard. The museum director, his wife, the gardener, and the commander set up a makeshift barricade. Soon a fascist motorcade appeared. The museum's defenders fought fiercely and held off the enemy until rescue forces arrived.