A family saga taking place mostly in a small Slovak village over a period of thirty years (1887–1917). The first part captures the life of Martin Pichandu in the development of his craft, masonry; in the second part, his son is center stage living in a period of socio-political crisis, which ultimately results in the first World War. After originally airing on Czechoslovakian television in 1983 as a four-part 226-minute mini-series, this production received a 163-minute theatrical release in 1984.

Štefan Kvietik
as Samo

Jozef Kroner
as Martin Pichanda

Michal Dočolomanský
as Valent

Ivana Valešová
as Mária

Eva Jakoubková
as Kristína

Jana Janovská
as Ružena

Štefan Šafárik
as

Pavol Mikulík
as Julo

Milan Kiš
as Dropa

Igor Čillík
as Svanda