The heroine witnesses the bravery and fatalism of her small town hosts. An extraordinary drama set during the Russian Civil War, following the revolution of 1917. Script co-written by Vasilii Grossman. Wazed Ali Shah rules one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British are preparing for annexation.
Political pressures builds.
But Ali Shah, secluded in his palace, immerses himself in the arts. His courtiers play endless games of chess. The Chinese master's son travels to Japan, and so begins a thirty-year story of two families and two lands. The film reflects the two countries' often tragic relations. 1983 Montreal World Film Festival grand prize winner.