The film is based on the science-fiction novel 'A Picnic on the Roadside' by Russian sci-fi writers, the brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.Stalker is the man who knows a lot about the system of obstacles and traps in the Zone. He knows the way to the coveted room where any wish may come true. To find this room is the goal of Writer and Professor. The writer hopes to find inspiration there, the professor dreams of making a discovery. Led by the Stalker, they finally reach the room… But will they be able to enter it? And what will the path of self-knowledge lead to? The Andrei Tarkovsky film does not offer definitive answers.Quoted in the film are the verses by poet Fyodor Tyutchev and Arseny Tarkovsky, the director's father.