Ivan falls in love with Marichka, the daughter of his father's murderer, in a Carpathian village. When tragedy befalls her, he is devastated for months; he eventually marries Palagna and rejoins the vibrant world around him. She desires children, but he is preoccupied with his lost love. Palagna employs sorcery to regain Ivan's attention, and in the process falls under the sorcerer's control, publicly humiliating Ivan, who then battles the sorcerer. The dynamic rhythms of village life, labor and holidays, the pageantry and festivity of weddings and funerals, the changing of the seasons, and the beauty of nature give Ivan's tragedy proportion.
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Ivan falls in love with Marichka, the daughter of his father's murderer, in a Carpathian village. When tragedy befalls her, he is devastated for months; he eventually marries Palagna and rejoins the vibrant world around him. She desires children, but he is preoccupied with his lost love. Palagna employs sorcery to regain Ivan's attention, and in the process falls under the sorcerer's control, publicly humiliating Ivan, who then battles the sorcerer. The dynamic rhythms of village life, labor and holidays, the pageantry and festivity of weddings and funerals, the changing of the seasons, and the beauty of nature give Ivan's tragedy proportion.
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