The shepherds only inhabit their mountain villages in the summer; after that they travel with their sheep for more than a month, herding them to pastures near the shores of the Caspian Sea. They have been doing this for generations and, during the journey and at their winter destination, they experience situations embodying all the fundamental aspects of human life. The vast herd is scattered over the wild landscape, fathers and sons live in accord with the natural order, and the black-and-white camera emotively renders monumental images and captures the rhythm of a time-honoured existence that might one day come to an end. This is implied in the character of the young herdsman Gela, whose rebellion against tradition leads to tragedy in this authentic and also timeless, poetic reflection.