The rich villager Yuftalana discovers that someone has broken corn from the cornfield. By chance he sees the thief - a child of a poor man. Blinded by rage, Yuftalana kills him with a stone...
The action takes place in a Bulgarian country family during the 30's of the 20th century. Forced by the fear that after the death of her son, her daughter-in-law could marry somebody else and could take part in sharing the heritage, the main character Mariola decides to kill her daughter-in-law.
The upper class of the capital has been invited to a party. The guests discuss the retreat of the Germans on the Eastern Front. Havadzhieva, an attractive intellectual, recognizes that the interests of her class require action, not words.
The wealthy Yurtalana is the undisputed master of his family. His older son Stoyko marries a poor girl - Sevda. On the wedding day, Stoyko tells her a dark family secret...
