XVII century, Bulgaria is under Ottoman rule. Four men break into the house of the shepherd Karaivan, raping and killing his wife in full view of their child, Maria. To protect his daughter and to enact revenge, he raises Maria as a son, teaching her to fight and kill. But as Maria grows up, she longs for a different life.
In а short but heroic campaign, Bulgarian poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev leads a band of rebels from the Danube to the Balkan Range.
The day that the financial clerk Metodi Rashkov is getting retired comes. He is a shy and quiet man and he accepts all tasks given to him by his son and daughter in law without argument. With time, he becomes a housekeeper; he shops, cooks and looks after his grandson. In order to save his face in front of his friends he lies to them and falls in a number of uncomfortable situations. The "Expolsion" becomes imminent. The reason is insignificant but with great consequences. Rashkov leaves his home. Soon the freedom which he wanted becomes boring for him. The abandoned family begins to miss the grandfather. At the end everyone sees their mistakes and is ready to fix them. The birth of a second grandson is the event which brings everyone under the same roof again.
