The film follows the fortunes and life of Grigory (Everett), his loves and his family and village by the Don during the period 1914 - early 1920s, bringing out the tragic history of the Don Cossaks, riven by WW1, the Russian Revolution and the Civil War. Grigory, the youngest son, is conscripted for WW1, sympathises with the Soviet revolution, but in the confusion of the Civil War finds himself on the side of the Whites as the Cossaks are divided. This version (the third filmed) features Ruppert Everett, Ben Gazzara and Murray Abrahams, as well as Russian actors. It is 7 hours long, and was shown in 7 episodes on Russian television. It probably does not do the book (often compared with War and Peace) justice and seems to have been cut down with events sometimes seeming a little disjointed, but it does give a flavour of what to expect from reading the book. Despite it's international cast it did not get the international release it deserved. It is available in Russian language on video, in Russia, which is where I got my copy.