In the mid-17th century, Poland was the largest, most democratic, and most tolerant country in Europe. However, a tragic civil war brought about the gradual decline of the once glorious republic... An epic story about the Ukrainian uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth magnates in the 17th Century.

Vasyl follows his wife, who escaped to an Orthodox clergyman who is to heal her of infertility.

The protagonist of the film is a 12-year-old boy - Witek, the son of a small-town miller, a former entrepreneur who, after the war, holed up in a small town as a craftsman. The boy's mother is a beautiful and subtle woman, raising children and raising a home. Through the house of Witek's parents there is a gallery of picturesque characters who are perceived by the child warmly and with humor.