A screen adaptation of the Cossack duma “Yarom, khloptsi, yarom” (“Through ravine, guys, through ravine”) unfolds as a poetic yet somber social drama.

In the original song, the treacherous landlord Lebedenko is punished by the haydamaks (a self-designation of popular insurgents in Right-Bank Ukraine, which remained under the rule of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until the end of the 18th century) for the injustices inflicted upon the peasants. In the film, the brutality of these events is deliberately softened, while an element of suspended anticipation and temporal stillness is introduced, drawing the viewer in emotionally. The film is often described as a “film-song.”

The picture was conceived as part of the film almanac “Ukrainian Songs on Screen,” intended to unite music, folklore, and social themes. The film’s audio track is currently lost.

A film print of the work was preserved in the collection of the Bundesarchiv and was digitized and transferred in 2024 with the support of Adelheid Heftberger and the Bundesarchiv team, as well as Ivan Kozlenko.