To the Lake

Residents of Moscow are infected with an unknown deadly virus, the main symptoms of which are coughing and discoloration of the eyes, and after three to four days, death occurs. Nobody knows how to resist infection. The capital of the country is covered by an epidemic, gradually turning it into a city of the dead: there is no electricity, money has lost its value, chaos and lawlessness reign everywhere and gangs of marauders are gathering, the media are panicking, and those who are not yet infected are desperately fighting for food and fuel. The city is being quarantined; all entrances to it are closed.

Fleeing from the epidemic, Sergei, along with his new lover, her autistic son, his own son, his ex-wife who could not forgive him, his father and the neighbors who joined them, go to Karelia. There, on a small deserted island in the middle of Vongozero, they want to hide from the threat of infection in a refuge ship that has been converted into a camping cabin.

Against the background of a terrible global catastrophe, a cruel family drama is also played out. People who normally would never have been under the same roof must now unite to try to escape the growing epidemic. On the way, they will not only face various dangers, but also overcome family troubles, learn not only to survive, but also to forgive.

• Kirill Käro as Sergey
• Viktoriya Isakova as Anna, Sergey's new wife
• Aleksandr Robak as Lyonya, Sergey's neighbor
• Natalya Zemtsova as Marina, Lyonya's partner
• Maryana Spivak as Irina, Sergey's ex-wife
• Yuri Kuznetsov as Boris Mikhailovich, Sergey's father
• Eldar Kalimulin as Misha, Anna's son which has Asperger syndrome
• Viktoriya Agalakova as Polina, Lyonya's daughter
• Saveliy Kudryashov as Anton, Sergey's and Irina's son
• Aleksandr Yatsenko as Pavel

Filming took place in 2018 in Moscow, the Moscow region and the Arkhangelsk region (in Onega and the village of Malozhma, Onezhsky District). Vongozero portrayed the Onega Bay.[4] After its release in Russia, Netflix bought the rights to the series for $1.5 million, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.[5]

During a November 2020 interview,[6] actress Viktoriya Agalakova commented on the show's positive international reception on Netflix: "I am extremely glad that the foreign audience liked our project. We made it with love, and therefore we are very pleased that people enjoy watching it – after all, that is what we worked for. Many foreigners write to me; they leave detailed reviews about our project – and, honestly, it is incredible, and it’s hard to believe."

Filming for the second season began in April 2021.[7] In October 2020, the producer of the series Yevgeny Nikishov announced that the plot of the second season will not be based on Vagner's sequel book "Living People".

• To the Lake on Netflix
• To the Lake at IMDb