 Middle Ages. Bulgaria is under the Ottoman Empire. Somewhere, far in the mountains, goatherd Karaivan lives with his wife and little daughter. One day, while he is away, Turks burst into the house and rape the woman before the eyes of the kid. She dies and the girl is shocked into growing dumb. From this moment on, Karaivan is obsessed with the sole thought of taking revenge. He moves with the girl into a cave high in the mountains, raises the girl as if she is a boy, trains her to fight and draw a bow. Deep in her heart, the girl has no hatred, but a craving for love. She meets a young Muslim shepherd and falls in love. The father is unable to swallow it and kills the young man, thus killing his own daughter.