Miracle

She is Nikolai Artemyev's daughter. She lives in Leningrad. She is studying to become a lawyer and is about 20 years old. After learning what had happened, she came.

The story takes place in the town of Grechansk in 1956. The story centers on a young woman named Tatyana, who lives with her mother. Neither of them believes in God, but the house still contains icons inherited from her grandmother. Tatyana forces her mother to remove them, and only the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker remains—because Tatyana's lover is also named St. Nicholas.
At a birthday party, Tatyana, having failed to see her betrothed, picks up an icon and begins dancing with it. Suddenly, she freezes in place, her limbs seemingly petrified. Signs of life persist (weak breathing), but neither medical intervention nor attempts to break the floor are able to rouse her from her stupor. A police cordon is set up around the house to discourage the "pilgrims."
Nikolai (Konstantin Khabensky), a journalist from a Moscow newspaper, arrives in Grechansk. He tries to understand what's happening and writes an article, seeking a materialistic explanation. The situation reaches Khrushchev himself: seeing the girl who has been standing there for 128 days, he orders the icon taken from her. This is done by a monk, the son of a local priest, after which Tatyana revives. She is sent for examination, and then, suspected of conspiring against the Soviet regime, interrogations begin.

False Tatyana is a character they are trying to foist on a journalist: local authorities are trying to pass off another girl as the "petrified" one in order to stop the rumors.

Monk is the son of the local priest. It is he who takes the icon from Tatyana on Khrushchev's orders, after which she is revived.

Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev arrives in Grechansk to personally investigate the "miracle." Seeing the girl, who had already stood there for 128 days, he orders the icon taken from her.

Father Andrei is the local priest. His faith is being tested: he may appear steadfast on the surface, but ultimately proves to be shaky in the face of the inexplicable.

Pershin is a police major. He participates in interrogations and maintains order around Tatyana's house.

Kondrashov, the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, and a police major interrogate Tatyana, suspecting her of conspiring against the Soviet regime.

Natasha Artemyeva is Nikolai's wife. Her storyline shows how the story of her husband and the "miracle" affects her personal life.

Nikolai Artemyev is a reporter for the regional newspaper Volzhskaya Pravda. He is sent to Grechansk to investigate the story of the "petrified" girl. Nikolai tries to find a materialistic explanation for the incident and writes an article, but the editor-in-chief rejects it, after which the journalist resigns. He has a wife and several women with other women, including Tatyana.

Klavdia Ivanovna is Tatyana's mother. She is calmer and quieter by nature. Initially, her daughter forces her to remove all the icons inherited from her grandmother from the house. Only the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker remains—because Tatyana's beloved was also named St. Nicholas.

Tatyana Skripnikova is the main character. She works in a textile factory and has a rather rude personality. In the midst of a Komsomol party, her lover Nikolai hasn't arrived yet, so she jokingly decides to dance with an icon of St. Nicholas. Afterward, she literally freezes in place, clutching the icon, unable to move.