In December 1825, distinguished members of the Russian military --- most of whom were quite affluent and of noble lineage --- take it upon themselves to stir up a revolution against the autocratic and tyrannical Czar Nikolai I in the wake of his not honoring (or even acknowledging) the drafting of a constitution for the Russian people. The revolution fails miserably and the conspirators (known as the Decembrists) are weeded out by the Czar himself. One by one, each of the conspirators confess and are systematically exiled to Siberia, slated to work and die in a mine. The wives of the conspirators are given the choice of leaving the bosom of wealth and family (including their own children) to be with their husbands in the brutal Siberian locale. If they agree to this, they face having their illustrious social stations stripped away and experiencing disdain from everyone around them. Among these remarkable women is a princess exiled from France, who fell in love with a man soon to be exiled. This film is the story of the women's unfathomable sacrifice and their dogged desire to be reunited with the men they love, despite the conditions and the circumstances.

DVD-R is in Russian with switchable English subtitles.  Approx. 158 mins. See film sample for audio and video quality!