Rudolf Chmonin

A capricious lord who is blind in one eye orders a portrait from three painters, threatening to condemn them to death should the results displease him.

Salia, an orphan, immediately after finishing her tenth year leaves her stepmother’s home, which she does not love, to a mining village to live with her uncle. On the road, she meets a handsome young man who works at the same mine as her uncle. Kind and sympathetic Azim helps the girl get a job and enroll in evening preparatory courses at the institute. Salia, completely inexperienced and deprived of human attention, takes simple human participation for something more. She is sure that this is a clear response to her first ardent love. But the young engineer loves Jamila and does not even think about another girl. By chance, having learned about the mutual love of Azim and Jamila, Salia experiences great grief, it seems to her that everyone has betrayed her and she is left alone again...

The film is dedicated to the beauty and majesty of its homeland, the traditions of the Kyrgyz people, and the everyday life and work of its people. The story is narrated by an old man who has lived a long life. As if looking back with a thoughtful gaze, he remembers all the cherished moments and beauty he will soon have to leave behind. Yet despite the looming tragedy, there is no sense of pessimism — every memory, every frame shines with a hopeful warmth, like life itself. The old shepherd’s character and spirit, reflected in his eyes, will live on in his grandchildren, preserving both the beauty of the land and the deep love he felt for it.