Levani 'Bairam' Tataraidze is a Tushetian shepherd born in the 1960s and raised in the saddles of a donkey. In his youth he was conscripted by the USSR to enforce the communist regime in Hungary, and returned to an independent Georgia where he and his father were robbed at gunpoint by Mkhedrioni. 
Now in his 60s, he reflects upon his life and the constant political and social change in his country of Georgia. Ecological change and economic difficulties have also arrived at the same time. He forbids his children from following his pastoral footsteps, whilst he ponders on whether the traditions and lifestyle he cherishes will survive the next few generations.