Winner of the Silver Hugo, Chicago 1973. One of the most beloved and controversial films in Bulgaria, it is also the biggest box-office hit in the history of Bulgarian cinema. The popularity abroad of this film might be best understood in the light of history: during the seventeeth century, the Ottoman Turks made life quite miserable for Bulgarians. This film captures the effects of Turkish persecution upon a Bulgarian family living in the mountains. It is a story of love, lust, revenge and madness set in the style of ancient tragedy.