At the dawn of the First World War, Khrystyna rejects Mykyta's marriage proposal, so he volunteers in the army. A wound sends him home in time for the Bolshevik Revolution, which soon sweeps Ukraine between the Reds and the Whites.
Khrystyna tries to remain faithful to Mykyta, who unbeknownst to her, is in a Siberian prison camp. She raises her three children alone during the early years of the Soviet Union. Upon his release, Mykyta goes in search of his family.
The brothers compete for Maryana's love while several suitors pursue Bohdana. Her fiance is arrested by the KGB. As the Nazis invade, the Kozaks come to the aid of a Jewish family.
Maryana risks her voice after straining her vocal chords while waiting for Sasha to return from the war--unaware that he has married the general's daughter. Meanwhile, Sergei is sentence to a Siberian prison camp.
Serhii is reunited with his family, but does not receive the welcome he expects, but does have a pleasant surprise next door. In the 1960s, Sasha's daughter does not realize her father's manipulation of her life.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, another generation of Kozaks go in different directions. Galya marries a gangster and seduces her sister's husband, causing a family split.
Ivan gets into trouble with merciless Berkut troops, bringing Galyna and Olena to a reconciliation. Mykyta finds a new lease on life, while Sergiy and Sasha bury the hatchet.