Vera is a responsible and jaunty village toiler, one of those women who ‘stop riding at a gallop.’ She is both a light-keeper, and a gamekeeper, and a beekeeper, and a permanent guardian of order. Vera can do it all – except that in her personal life, she has no happiness. The husband cheats on her and after kicking him out she remains alone with her daughters.
It seems nothing will ever change in Vera’s life, but one day a doctor from the city comes to the village and excites her interest. He in turn immediately notices that it is not a general in a skirt in front of him, but a beautiful woman.