Based upon the novella by Mikhail Kotsyubinsky.

Two Gutsul families – the Paliychuks and the Gutenyuks - had been warring for many years. But there came a day when Ivan Paliychuk fell in love with the beautiful Marichka of the enemy family… Ivan left the village to work as a hired laborer, and Marichka fell to her death in the deep of a river. Ivan could not forget his beloved, however hard he had tried. Not even the marriage to the beautiful Pelagea could save the situation. And only in his death rave Ivan would recover his happiness by touching the outstretched hands of his beloved.

Cast

Ivan Mikolaichuk, Larissa Kadochnikova, Nikolai Grinko, Leonid Yengibarov, Nina Alisova, Alexander Gai, Neonila Gnepovskaya, Spartak Bagashvili

Awards

Mar del Plata IFF (Argentina) – Best Director Award and FIPRESCI Prize, 1965

Salonika IFF (Greece) – “Gold Medal”, 1966

British Film Academy Award, 1966

All-Union Film Festival in Kiev – Special Jury Prize, 1966