Didar is a poet chained to his daily work in a small newspaper. But in the age of mass consumption, few are still interested in poetry. Reading the story of Makhambet Utemisov (or Ôtemìsůly), a famous 19th century Kazakh poet executed by the authorities, he is deeply shaken, recognizing in it both the harshness and the necessity of his vocation. Invited to give a reading in a small town, he finds himself torn between pain and joy, his accomplishments and his failures.