Through the centuries, a white-haired old man has guarded the blood-bathed Scythian treasures of Zvenyhora. Before his eyes, as if in a dream, one historical period changes into another — from the arrival of the Varangians and the Haidamak movement to World War I and the Soviet Revolution. A “gold rush” gives rise to fantastic visions of treasure hunters, including his own eldest grandson, Pavlo, who is losing his mind over it. Meanwhile, his other grandson, Tymish, trades his grandfather’s archaic world of nature for “rabfak” (a trade school for workers) and industrialization. They all meet on the enchanted mountain for the final battle.

The magic tricks of early silent cinema, the dreary mysticism of the German expressionist films of the 1920s, Chaplin-inspired irony, and avant-garde montage are all combined by Director Oleksandr Dovzhenko in this lyrical and epic film.

This is the first film of Dovzhenko’s silent trilogy, sealing his reputation as a leading Ukrainian film director and sparking a spirited debate about Ukrainian cinema.