Nasira Mambetova

At a time when most females in Asia possess little or no power over their lives, headstrong Kurmanjan Datka defies her family's authority -- and ultimately becomes the ruler of her native Kyrgyzstan region.

The hardships of modern life for one of the families, unhappy in its own way and at the same time recognizable to others. A husband and wife are fighting and drinking, their eldest son lives on his parents-in-law's money, the middle daughter is a prostitute, and only the youngest daughter, confined to a wheelchair, mute, is watching it.

After his long-lost son is suddenly thrust back into his life, a charismatic con artist takes to the road with his two wives, swindling everyone they encounter along their path.

A group of people setting out to find a previously assumed land and upon reaching it, not knowing how to deal with the customs of the place, have to deal with all the consequences.

Longing to discover his father, a sad young boy dreams of becoming a fish and swimming to the great white ship he sees traversing Lake Issyk. Lost in his dreams, and buoyed by the pagan tales of his Central Asian grandfather, he feels a close communion with nature: so much so that when a hunter kills a stag, he too takes a final, liberating leap.

After a serious conflict with the editor of a local newspaper, journalist Temir Ataev began working as a teacher at a boarding school for children of shepherds. The first difficulties did not frighten Temir. Captivated by his new work, Ataev was able to win over the children, who were mostly from disadvantaged families, and restore order in the teaching staff.

Sultanmurat is a 14 year old boy who lives in a small Kyrgyz village. All the men have gone off to war so he is left alone to tend to the horses who are weak with hunger.