Summary
In the labyrinthine alleyways of a burgeoning industrial city, we encounter Zina, a spirited young woman, affectionately, or perhaps pejoratively, dubbed 'Sorvanets'—the wild one, the rascal. Her vivacious, untamed spirit, a stark contrast to the rigid societal norms of early 20th-century Russia, propels her into a fateful encounter with Andrei, a scion of the city's entrenched aristocracy. Their initial, almost accidental, collision blossoms into a clandestine romance, a fragile bloom in the harsh concrete jungle, defying the chasm of their social stations. However, the machinations of Princess Vera, Andrei's imperious, pre-arranged fiancée, and the insidious manipulations of Petr, a calculating industrialist with a vested interest in maintaining the social order, weave a treacherous web around the star-crossed lovers. Zina finds herself ensnared in a convoluted plot, falsely accused of a theft orchestrated to discredit her and sever her ties to Andrei. The film meticulously charts her harrowing journey through the unforgiving legal system, her desperate attempts to clear her name, and Andrei's agonizing dilemma between familial duty and the profound, transformative love he has discovered. The narrative culminates in a heart-wrenching climax, a public spectacle of justice or injustice, where Zina, with a defiant glint in her eyes, makes a profound sacrifice, forever altering the lives of all involved and casting a long, mournful shadow over the rigid edifice of society.
