In order to eradicate malaria, endemic in the marshes of the Mingrelia region, the authorities plan to drain a large territory that according to legend is the realm of Uzhmuri, the Queen of Frogs and a deadly deity for intruders.
Schoolteacher Spiridon and his pretty wife Despine are taking a room in a small inn. Tariel Mklavadze, a local nobleman and debauchee falls for a beauty of Despine. He and his friends terrify young couple trying to get Despine.
The conflict with the plant owner makes Tade and Gijua to leave the town and return to their home village. There, Gijua fells in love with Tade’s sister Tasya. A day before their wedding, Tasya is taken by the people of Prince Rostom. Two friends rescue her from the Prince’s estate and launch a resistance struggle against the local usurpers. Revolted peasants kill the prince while two friends escape to the city and become active in a revolutionary movement.
