The film is dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the birth of one of the most prominent figures in Ukrainian cinema, film director Oleksandr Dovzhenko (1894-1956).

The film tells the story of the artist's thorny path – from his first steps in cinema to the creation of cult films that have become symbols of Ukrainian poetic cinema. The authors explore how Dovzhenko maneuvered between his own creative ideals and the political constraints of the era.

The film features insights into Oleksandr Dovzhenko's personal and creative journey from: Professor Yurii Shapoval, Doctor of Historical Sciences; film historian and screenwriter Serhii Trymbach; historian and public figure, now People's Deputy Volodymyr Viatrovych; film expert, editor-in-chief of the magazine Kino-Kolo Volodymyr Voitenko; film researcher Ivan Kozlenko; Polish film director Krzysztof Zanussi; film expert and head of the Dovzhenko Centre film archive Alona Penzii; film expert and chair of the Ukrainian Film Critics Association Oksana Volosheniuk.

Based on the novel of the same name by Viktor Veretennikov.

The story unfolds across two time periods – modern-day Ukraine and the historical reality of the second half of the 17th century. The two main characters are the legendary Cossack chieftain Ivan Sirko and his modern-day successor, Krutoyar. In each of their lives, the woman they love plays a huge role. Ivan Sirko discovers love thanks to Yaryna. He rescues her from Tatar captivity, where she was held along with her young son Oleksa. Sirko knew her son well, as he had been his Cossack apprentice: the chieftain taught him everything he knew and could do. But fate decreed that, whilst rescuing Yaryna, Sirko would discover that Oleksa, who had been like a son to him, had become one of the finest Janissaries and was beheading his Ukrainian brothers and sisters. On every campaign, in every battle, the old ataman awaits a meeting with Oleksa, but does not know how it might end for him…