| Director | Nataly Callai, Roman Bondarchuk |
|---|---|
| Budget | $650,000 |
Lukas, an interpreter for the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), drives three colleagues into the deserted countryside of the southern Ukrainian steppe for an inspection tour of military checkpoints near the Crimean border.
Their car breaks down and with no cell phone reception, they find themselves at Beryslav, a district of Ukraine in Kherson Oblast. Here, Lukas walks in search of assistance but fails to find any. On his return, the car with his colleagues has mysteriously disappeared – though he has the keys.
Left alone, Lukas is picked up in a tank by Vova, and brought to a village overlooking the Kakhovka Reservoir. Once at the village, Vova and his daughter Marushka decide to host Lukas who during his stay is distressed by unfortunate events but each time is unexpectedly saved by Vova.
Lukas's life changes while living with Vova, as he realises the feeling of happiness he thought he lost. The more he stays with Vova the more he understands the anarchic life of the village, detached from any common structures. Although Lukas dislikes Vova's eccentricities, he needs his support in the village where drunken gangs carry assault rifles, the police rob detainees, slave labour is practiced, and nobody has a conventional job.
Notwithstanding the village's image, Lukas begins to understand the people through their collective past. Also, he finds himself interested in Vova's eccentricity and falls in love with his daughter Marushka. Finally, Lukas joins Vova in one of his get-rich schemes, diving to one of the drowned villages in the reservoir.