Kara-Kys Munzuk

Mergen, an engineer, returns to Tuva, dreaming of working for its betterment. Tuva is developing, with new houses and electricity reaching remote areas. However, the chairman of the collective farm, Elbek, opposes building a bridge across the turbulent mountain river. Meanwhile, Adar, the son of old Kawai-ool, has forgotten his countrymen and stayed in the city. The old man tried to bring Adar home, but he refused. Adar’s fiancée, Oyunmaa, waits for him in vain, disliking the sycophantic Daji who courts her. But the old bridge was destroyed by water, forcing Elbek to agree to a new one. Adar also returns to Tuva, and his friends and fiancée welcome him joyfully.

The film takes us to the Far North. A criminal escapes from prison, and on his way through the tundra meets an old native man who is carriying the salaries of reindeer breeders. Their joint struggle for survival results in the spiritual purification of the protagonist.