Aleksei Bondarev

Princess Marusya fell in love with Dr. Toporkov, the doctor who had treated her, but he failed to notice her affection and married a wealthy merchant’s daughter. Several years later, called upon to treat Marusya once more, at last her deep feelings melt his hardened heart... but it is far too late: Marusya is dying.

Documentary film about early years of Russian cinema: its first directors, cameramen, producers and actors. Includes rare fragments of pre-revolutionary feature films, newsreels and Starewicz's animation.