老船长的女儿安妮采与造船木工伊伏相爱。老船长嫌伊伏穷，要把女儿嫁给一个从美洲归来的富翁聂柯为妻。一天，伊伏手持利斧要砍夺妻仇敌聂柯时，伊伏的妈妈叶莲赶到，夺下利斧，告诉儿子，这聂柯就是他的生父。20年前他强暴了叶莲后去了美洲。叶莲求聂柯让伊伏与安妮采相爱，遭到拒绝。后来当聂柯要加害伊伏时，旧仇新恨涌上心头，叶莲抡起利斧砍…

Russia, the Urals, the Civil War. The country is split, it is unclear who is behind the Reds, who - for whites. There is no right or guilty. Healthy, adult, beautiful men gladly fight each other to give wicked joy of blood and death. And the worst thing that they all speak the same language. People are scared and confu…