Regina Yanushkevich

The first Russian talking picture which won a prize at the 1st Venice IFF. The action is set in 1923. The USSR is struggling with hunger and economic ruin. It is a story of homeless teenagers for whom a work commune is set up with the idea of uniting and reforming them.

In the film an ancient Lithuanian legend is told about an origin of amber. For the sake of love to fisherman Kastytis sea tsarevna Jurate offered herself up. Her fiance, terrible god Perkunas destroyed the amber castle where she lived and it scattered into a thousand slices.

The events in the film take place in pre-revolutionary Russia. A riot of workers of a large porcelain factory is taking place. After the burning of one of the shops, Grunya's father dies in the fire. The owner of the factory caused the fire in order to obtain a fine from the workers. Grunya urgers the workers to fight, but is injured, yet she still urges the people not to give up.