The film is divided into two parts, and begins and ends with images of a flooded village and church under water. Varvara (played by Darya Ekamasova), a peasant woman from Tambov Governorate of the Russian Empire, is married off to a peasant man, who sexually and physically abuses her. The couple live with the husband's family at their khutor, who also treat Varvara badly. One day, her father-in-law tries to force himself on her, and she pushes him away. He strikes his head on a stone and dies. Varvara and her husband move to another khutor, quite rundown, and set about making it habitable. Varvara soon gives birth to a daughter. However, the onset of the First World War leads to turmoil – and Varvara and her child are separated from her husband. Varvara is forced from her khutor, but eventually successfully returns. However, the civil war that follows the Russian Revolution leads to much hardship. During this time, Varvara is raped more than once, but also finds solace in the arms of a kinder man. However this man and many other villagers are executed by the Red Army during the Tambov Rebellion. In the final scene of the movie, the entire village with people is flooded by water, apparently after destruction of a nearby dam, as an allegory to the Russian city of Kitezh.