Anatoly Karpukhin

It is year 1900 in Pre-Revolutionary Russia and Deacon Olympius begins to take interest in secular literature. When he stumbles upon a book by Tolstoy, he is humbled and inspired to lead a just life. Based on a story by Aleksandr Kuprin.

Musician and Scientist from the Soviet Russia goes to Türkmenistan to explore and learn about Turkmen National Music. Whilst drifitng through the desert and writing down the music he learns, he comes the across the son of the legend: Karkara.

A group of Swedish tourists are on the way to a Russian village to witness the so called 'Festivity of Neptunus', in which the inhabitants take a dive in a hole in the ice. This tradition, however, does not exist at all. The inhabitants try to make a good impression by starting the 'tradition' to please the tourists.

In the summer of 1918, the situation in Transcaspia was especially difficult. The Menshevik government led by Funtikov seized power. Only the fortress city of Kushka remains Soviet. The garrison went over to the Bolshevik side. Large reserves of weapons and ammunition are concentrated in the fortress, which especially attracts the Mensheviks and the British who help them. The commander of the garrison, the former tsarist general Vostrosablin, decides not to surrender the fortress. To do this, he and Commissar Morgunov are developing a defense plan. White Colonel Zykov, with the support of the Basmachi and the British, hopes to take Kushka. But the tough confrontation between the parties ends with the victory of the defenders of the fortress.

City girl Jeren, a pupil of an orphanage, moves to the village to live with the parents of her husband Kerim. Here she starts working at the club. The head of the family, Soltan-aga, initially greets his daughter-in-law with hostility. He doesn’t like the fact that she is an orphan, he considers her a “stranger,” because he wanted to see his neighbor’s daughter as his son’s wife. And only Kerim’s mother Ogulgerek is hospitable and cordial with Jeren. Time passes. Jeren manages to turn the club into a real cultural center, and local youth help her in this. Kerim is also doing well: he is organizing the work of the collective farm garage...

The film is based on K. Kuliev's novel "Magtymguly". A story about a Turkmen spiritual leader, philosophical poet, Sufi and traveller who wrote under the pen name Pyragy (Feraghi) and is considered to be the most famous figure in Turkmen literary history. After graduating from the Khiva Madrasa, the poet Pyragy (Feraghi) Magtymguly returns to his native Turkmen aul. He teaches children, composes poems, loves a beautiful girl and is loved by her. But local bey Cherkez-khan does not like the poet's calls to unite Turkmens, and his soldiers burn the village. Khan appoints the captured Magtymguly his court poet but, having received a refusal, the tyrant orders to kill the poet. But the guard helps the poet to escape. Having returned to the burnt aul, Magtymguly begins to call on Turkmens to unite with Russia, because they could not deal with their troubles alone.

The film unfolds on two parallel planes. Scenes depicting the tense, uneasy routine of the border where the young protagonist Ata serves are interwoven with the less dangerous, yet still emotionally charged episodes from the life of the beautiful young Leila, his fiancée, who remains faithful to him despite receiving a proposal from a very successful young graduate student.

Fifteen-year-old Aina is going through her first difficulties. For the first time, she felt lonely and unprotected. The father left after the divorce, the mother is trying to arrange her personal life. The only true friend - grandfather - dies in Aina's arms. For her inconvenient character - the desire to get to the bottom of right and wrong actions - the girl was nicknamed mad. Aina, who cannot tolerate lies, has a hard time both at school and at home. But she is strong because she has her own ideas about a happy life.