Kuandyk Kystykbayev

A family lives in a remote Kazakh village. There are five sons. The oldest, Aslan, becomes the father’s deputy in charge of all the work and delegating tasks to his younger brothers. Fair and humane, he sympathises with his siblings when they err, and accepts the father’s blame for them. One day Aslan takes the children to the river, a moment of happiness as the river is deep enough for a real swim. Since then, life is different. The children become more diligent in their daily chores, while the river turns into the focus of their lives.

1992, the country is in economic chaos following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Kasym Isagaliyev, the director of a successful construction holding, decides to enter the oil industry at the suggestion of a geologist partner — to obtain a license for two fields that the state has declared unprofitable. He faces a number of challenges: difficulties in securing funding, tough negotiations with investors, lack of experience in the new field, and competitors who have no intention of staying on the sidelines. Moreover, there is no 100 % guarantee that the disputed fields contain sufficient oil reserves.

Orphaned by the brutal Soviet collectivization campaign of the 1930s, a young Kazakh boy takes to the mountains and lives amongst a pack of wolves.