The scent of the earth and the rustling of the wind herald a changing order in the Soviet steppes. In this silent film classic, Oleksandr Dovzhenko brings to the screen the tension brought about by agriculture and collective life, set against the raw reality of the rural landscape. As Vasyl redraws the boundaries of the fields with the newly arrived tractor, traditional village life comes into conflict with the rising tide of the proletariat. The fate of those tied to the land is swept toward an inevitable rupture amid this great transformation.