Shoyna is a small fishing village located on the Kanin Peninsula in Northern Russia. Situated on the edge of the arctic circle, the inhabitants of this coastal village has to endure not only the cold but the huge amount of sand that stretches for tens of kilometers all along the coast of the White Sea.

The dunes continually migrate up and down the coast by the action of the westerly wind, and can bury houses up to the roof in a single night. Residents take precaution not to close the door at night, because by morning, it might not open. The village has a bulldozer that is frequently in action, digging out homes.