Narrated by Stalin’s daughter Svetlana, the film traces Joseph Stalin’s rise from a revolutionary under Lenin (played by Maximilian Schell) to his brutal reign and ultimate demise in 1953. It delves into his private life—including the tragic suicide of his wife Nadezhda (Julia Ormond)—and covers key historical events: the Civil War, Lenin’s death, Stalin’s consolidation of power, the Great Purge, World War II, and the onset of his final year