[4] Stesha (Marina Neyolova), a carefree and cheerful village girl, enjoys a simple life with her loving mother (Maya Bulgakova) and her fiancé, Ivan Sukhanov (Stanislav Borodokin), a dedicated activist in the local agricultural cooperative.
Unbeknownst to him, Stesha has caught the attention of Fyodor Bazyrin (Juozas Budraitis), a brooding resident of a distant homestead, whose growing infatuation for her culminates in an audacious act.
A visit to her old village to show off her new outfits leads to an emotional encounter with Ivan, where she firmly explains her decision to live her own life on her terms.
At the gathering, Ivan accuses Fyodor of resisting collectivization, prompting Stesha to defend her husband and her newfound identity as a mistress of her home.
However, Fyodor, feeling increasingly cornered by the pressures of the village and collective farm, begins hiding livestock and household items in the forest.