The film is both a folkloric film and a social documentary about the Selkupi people who live in Siberia and make their living from hunting and fishing. The film follows the life of Yuri Mikhailovich Kalin's family, which consists of fishing, trapping fur animals, and bartering their catch for food and other goods. The film also describes the gradual disappearance of the Selkup way of life, as young people are no longer very interested in the traditions of their people and many of them move to villages to live and seek work in the oil industry.