Epic film about traditional life of
Cossacks in the
Siberian province of
Dauria at the time of the
First World War and the
communist revolution in Russia. Focused on a Cossack village that lives under the guidance of a strong leader, Ataman (
Kopelyan), as well, as their way of life and its effect on young Cossack Roman Ulybin (
Solomin) who is mistreated because his father, a mature Cossack Severian Ulybin (
Shelokhonov) despises his estranged brother
Vasili Ulybin, Roman's uncle, for his secret affiliation with the Red Communist revolutionaries. Roman Ulybin is madly in love with beautiful Dashutka (Golovina). Roman is desperately asking his father, Severian Ulybin, to send a
Matchmaker (
Shukshina) to perform a traditional wooing ritual with the parents of the desired girl before it's too late. But father Severian has no money for such a ritual, while a wealthy crook has already hired the same Matchmaker, and soon the crook's son gets married at the lavish traditional
wedding with singing, dancing and drinking in the Russian style. So, frustrated Roman Ulybin leaves his father's home to follow his uncle
Vasili Ulybin, an emerging Red Communist revolutionary. During the
Russian Civil War, Roman is ordered by his communist uncle to seize the treasures of
the Bank of Russia in the city of
Chita. At the same time, an anarchist gang headed by a Navy deserter
Lavrov commits robbery of the same Bank of Russia, so they can flee to
Manchuria with the stolen gold. While fighting with the anarchists for the gold inside the bank, Roman is badly injured, but he escapes and joins a small group of men in the taiga wilderness. Soon, the advancing White Army attacks their hidden base in the woods. Roman and his men are captured by a group of anti-communist Cossacks who sentence them to death by shooting, but Roman manages to escape again by jumping into a small river before getting hit. After his escape, Roman finds the farmhouse of his previous love Dashutka who is now alone and cares for him until he heals.After reconnecting with her and healing, Roman goes to visit his parents and finds out that his father was forced into service in the anti-communist White Army. While Roman is resting at the home of his parents, the anti-communist Ataman tries to arrest him, but Roman's father Severian hides the son and helps him escape. After nearly being caught in his parents house, Roman reunites with the Red revolutionaries. Meanwhile, a detachment of the White Army headed by
an executioner brutally beats and humiliates the people who are not loyal to the
Tzar of Russia. The executioner commits a sadistic torture of the village leader Ataman. Roman's father, Severian, is murdered by another executioner in front of the people of the village, and Roman arrives right as the executioners escape, enraged, he witnesses his mother crying over the dead body of his father. ==Cast==