Boyarin Shalyguin, a widower, lives in his heritage stronghold and passionately loves his daughter Antonina. For his kind character and his intercession before the boyar, the girls loved him too. Only the old nanny did not like this beauty. Upon learning that she was in love with a distant chief, the old woman informed the boyar of everything. On a hot summer night, the young people are sitting in the garden and do not suspect that the nanny is leading the boyar with the servants. Ataman asks the boyar for blessings for the marriage with his beloved, but the latter does not want to hear and forces his people to catch the ataman. But he skillfully flees and, back at the camp, talks about what happened. The accomplices persuade him to finish the boyar. And in the middle of the party, when the handsome old boyar is married, a dashing ataman flies into the domain and, after having crushed the whole domain, kidnaps his beloved and takes the bound old man. The same request for consent to the marriage is repeated at the camp, but the father curses his daughter and runs from the gang of thieves to the archers, and persuades him to help her. On a calm night, they attack the thieves' camp. A distraught old man rushes to the chief offender with a raised knife, but Antonina appears and, wishing to protect her beloved, becomes the victim of a distraught father.
