The times of serfdom in Latvia. Brothers Tom, Michelis and Andris, driven to despair by the cruelty of the Dormuizh landowner, decide to start a liberation struggle. Tom and Michelis go into the forest and tame a wolf pack there. Taking advantage of the folk legend that a person can turn into a werewolf and live in his guise, the brothers intend to fight the German barons with the help of a wolf pack controlled by them and a messenger Andris, who has remained in the village for the time being...

The epic film is based on the motifs of Vilis Lācis' novel "The Zītari Family". The tragedy of the Zītari family is a model of Latvian national history. With the beginning of World War I, the patriarchal way of life of Captain Andrejs and his wife Alvīne, their children Kārlis, Ings, Ernests, Elza and Janka changes, with years spent at work and in rare, modest celebrations. Kārlis voluntarily goes to the front, Ingus disappears without a trace on long sea voyages. Not wanting to live in the territory occupied by the German army, the Zītari evacuate to the distant Altai region. The unusually difficult living conditions and the drastically changing political situation of the post-revolutionary period also affect each member of the Zītari family. When the opportunity arises to return to Latvia, Andrejs and Alvīne are no longer among the living. The old sailor's nest has collapsed and the young Zītari are no longer able to preserve their father's house - all the property is stolen.