Epic about Cossacks in the Siberian province of Dauria. Set in the time of World War I and the Russian revolution of 1917. Cossacks are living like one big family under the guidance of a strong leader - Ataman (Kopelyan). Young Cossack Roman Ulybin (V. Solomin) is in love with beautiful Dashutka (Golovina). Roman is asking his father Severian Ulybin (Shelokhonov) to send a Matchmaker before it's too late. But a wealthy crook has already hired the Matchmaker, and his son gets married at the lavish traditional wedding with singing, dancing and drinking in the Russian style. So, frustrated Roman Ulybin leaves his father's home and joins the communist revolutionaries. And, after the revolution the villagers are suffering a cascade of troubles.