1988. The young composer Turdykylish Iztaev is facing a creative crisis and is on the brink of depression. He has a family, children, and a job, but he has always dreamed of writing a song that will remain in history. His wife, Khanbibi Esenkarakzy, a well-known poetess, tries to support him and invites him to a May Day getaway in the mountains. However, this retreat becomes a trial for Khanbibi: Turdykylish falls in love with the young Nurikamal, who has come from Akmolinsk. Khanbibi watches the events unfold with jealousy and faces a difficult choice — to "gift" her husband the inspiration he seeks or to save their family.

Askhat had been living a bachelor’s life for a long time and ended up divorcing just three months after getting married. One day, when his ex-wife Gulzhan comes by to collect the rest of her belongings, he finds out that she’s already planning to marry someone else. They get into an argument, and Gulzhan harshly tells Askhat everything she really thinks of him, ending with the claim that no woman would ever want to marry him. Offended and caught off guard, Askhat lies and says that he also has a girlfriend — someone far better than his ex — and boldly declares that he’ll come to Gulzhan’s wedding with her.

Single mother Gulzhan discovers that her daughter Dana has gone missing. Soon it becomes clear that the girl was abducted by elderly villagers and taken to an aul inhabited only by old people, where she is being prepared for an ancient ritual.