: XIII century. The Carpathian village lives independently and freely, however, a boyar appears and considers himself the rightful owner of the region. The villagers do not submit and defeat the boyar, united with the Mongols.

The boyar Tugar Wolf arrives in the Carpathian village of Tukhlya. Prince Daniel granted him these lands. The wolf sets off to hunt bears with guests and the bold beauty daughter Miroslava. She received male education, has a strong spirit and owns the skills of a real knight. “Here is a girl! Such would be a man to be ”- admire the Tukhol people when they see her. The conductor of the boyars is taken by Maxim Berkut, the son of the elder Zakhar, authoritative in the rural community.

During the hunt, Miroslav falls into the lair of the bear. At the decisive moment from death, Maxim saves her. In gratitude, the girl ardently squeezes the hand of the savior. Young people are fascinated by each other.

Maxim Berkut leads Tugara and Miroslava with his village. Tukhlya is located in a valley surrounded by cliffs on all sides in a kind of cauldron. A mountain stream falls here by a waterfall, "wriggling along the valley in a snake." The young man talks about a community court: the venerable old men of the village gather at him. Golden eagle calls and Tugara Wolf. But the boyar considers it offensive to be equal to stinks and does not want to come to court.

In the gorge they see the Watchman - a huge stone pillar, a Tukhol shrine. Maxim tells a legend about him. Once upon a time there was a huge lake on the site, over which the goddess of death of Moran had power. There was nothing alive in him. Once the king of the giants quarreled with Morana, broke the rocks surrounding the lake, all the water flowed out of it and lost its strength. Then the goddess of death turned the king into this stone. Now he guards the valley.

Maxim dares to ask Miroslava’s hands for her father. The wolf is furious: he considers an insult to the insolence of a serf. Maxim answers him:

You have risen too high on the wings of pride, but beware! Fate is usually the highest raises those who are going to push the lowest.

The girl swears before the sun that he will be with Maxim and kisses him. Boyarin is stunned, but his daughter does not bring down his anger.

“Zakhar Berkut was a gray-haired old dove, the oldest in the entire Tukhol community; he was over ninety years old ... Tall, majestic, with a stern face ... ”In his youth, he walked around the world a lot, observed customs and mores, learned the medicine and for many years has been picking up herbs without fail. He spent three years in a monastery of skits. Zakhar got stronger with his mind and spirit and returned to his native village not only as a doctor, but also as a citizen. They even listen to the Zakharov word even in other villages that live freely, like Tukhla.

But the boyars did not like this situation; they were waiting for the war to come, like the bride of a holiday, for then the hope smiled upon them - immediately seize power in their hands ...

And now the elder is present at the community court. Tugar Wolf did a lot of things in their land. Not wanting to recognize the independent lifestyle of the Tukhol people, the boyar tried to show his power and superiority over them. The severe punishment of the forester becomes the limit of patience of people.

At the trial, the elders called on Tugar who came to them to recognize them as free people or to leave the region. They already have an enemy - the Mongol horde is approaching, exciting and destroying everything in its path. Wolf offers Tukhol people to unite with him against the enemy. He is an experienced and courageous fighter: he participated in internecine wars and already fought against the Mongols on the Kalka River. But among the villagers there is a cripple exposing the lie of the boyar. Tukholets fought with the Wolf. Tugar kills a cripple with an ax in front of the community, preventing him from revealing the secret. The community promises to expel the boyar from his land.

Wolf with his daughter arrives at the camp of the Mongols. Tugar knows their language and promises help in conquering the land: he will lead them in a safe short way. Miroslava with horror understands that her beloved father is a traitor to the motherland, and knowledge of the Mongolian language indicates that betrayal is not the first. The wolf leaves in the evening with the army, promising his daughter not to kill Maxim.

Maxim, on the other hand, comes to the boyar’s estate. Tukholts unite against Tugar with his warriors. Then they are attacked by the Mongols led by the Wolf. They interrupt everyone except the Golden Eagle: knowing that bondage for Maxim is worse than death, the boyar captures him.

In Tukhla they already know about the bloody battle. Miroslava appears and tells Maxim’s plan: people need to leave the village without leaving crumbs of bread there and close the Mongols from the basin. Only in this way can they win.

As soon as the enemy enters the valley, the villagers throw stones at the exit. The army is trying to climb the cliffs, but the Tukhol people fight back. Protected by Rusyns and all forest trails. The Mongols burn the village, fearing an attack of Tukhol people from the roofs of houses. Miroslava sneaks into the enemy camp - here is her father and Maxim. From the Mongolian military leader, the girl received the ring of Mstislav, obtained in the battle of Kalka. They let her pass with him everywhere. Maxim, seeing his beloved, lights up with a desire to live.

Tugar goes to negotiations with Zakhar. Wolf's hatred of Maxim is gradually dying away, it is replaced by admiration for the unwavering spirit and honesty of the young man. Boyarin asks in exchange for Maxim to release them from the hollow. Zahar refuses. The elder understands that he cannot exchange the life of one person for the lives of entire villages that the Mongols are going to attack. Miroslava is in despair. Tukholtsy come up with another plan: they knock down the Watchman and build a wall of stones: this wall blocks the exit of water from the source. Now she will gather in the valley.

Having guessed their plan, Maxim hopes to escape by concluding an agreement with the head of the Mongolian army. Only when the water is already arriving in the valley does it show a secret passage into the forest, where the Tukhol people are now. But water floods the dug course. The governor does not let Maxim go: although the fellow did not deceive, the Mongols still can not get out. The enemy army builds platforms of stones with which they were attacked by Tukhols, in order to later be saved on them. But when the valley is completely filled with water, it does not help. Some are drowning, others are swirling, others are killing each other for a place on the stones. The Mongol chief again offers to exchange Maxim for the remnants of his army, but Zakhar, realizing how terrible the Mongol’s revenge with the new army will be, refuses. The governor wants to kill Maxim with an ax, but Tugar saves the young man. Mongolian chief and Maxim fall into the water. In the remaining part of the enemies, Zakhar launches a huge stone, and no one remains on the site.

Maxim is saved. Zakhar blesses the happy Miroslava and Maxim. Zakhar feels that his time has come and before his death he says a parting word:

Our victory today is a great thing for us ... as long as you live in a communal system, keep together together, indestructibly stand all for one and one for all - until then, no enemy force will defeat you.

Zakhar predicts bad times for the people: “A brother will abandon his brother, his son will renounce his father, and great strife and strife will begin in the Russian land ... and then the whole nation will fall into captivity to strangers and their rapists, and they will make him a humble servant his whims and a working ox ... But whether sooner or later, he will remember the life of his ancestors and wish to follow in their footsteps ... These will be beautiful days, spring days, days of popular revival! ”