A criminal drama based on the story of the same name by Pavel Nilin. The first years of Soviet power in East Siberia. Malyshev,deputy chief of Criminal Investigation Department, a Komsomol member, wins over to the Soviet power a former field-hand and now a bandit Lazar Baukin, and the latter tells him about Vorontsov, the gang leader. Malyshev guarantees Baukin’s freedom. However the chief arrests him in order to reap laurels of catching the gang leader. Malyshev is in despair - he has brought under execution the man who has fully trusted him. The situation gets worse due to his personal drama and Malyshev commits suicide.

Driven from the court by her sisters' scheming, the young Tsarina is thrown into the sea in a cask with her infant son. Surviving the storm-tossed voyage, the mother and her now magically-adult son land on a remote island where he falls in love with a Swan Princess in human form, and longs for reunion with his estranged father, Tsar Saltan. Merchants come to the island with news of the tsar, and the prince sends word back to him, but the sisters continue their campaign of lies and trickery to keep them apart.