Freshly discharged from the Russian navy, young Asa (Askhat Kuchencherekov) returns to the arid Kazakh steppe to find a bride and become a shepherd. But his plans go awry when Tulpan, the only eligible bachelorette around, rejects him because his ears are too big. What's more, Asa turns out to be a lousy shepherd. Can his persistence win Tulpan's love, the respect of his flock and the life he dreams of? Documentarian Sergei Dvortsevoy directs.