玛娜娜，一个50岁的家庭主妇，挣扎于一个两难困境中——她不得不在她的家庭生活和多年来难以自抑的写作热情之间作出选择。最终她决定跟随自己的热情，投入到写作中去，为此在精神与肉体上都做出了牺牲。

谢尔盖·帕拉杰诺夫，1924年生于前苏联格鲁吉亚的第比利斯，父母都是亚美尼亚人。从小就显示出他对色彩的敏感和天神一般的绘画天赋。除了绘画，从小他就对电影和音乐有着浓厚的兴趣。1945年，他21岁，求学莫斯科是他一生的转折点。他进入俄罗斯电影学院（VGIK）导演系学习拍片。这是一个历史悠久的著名电影学校，为欧洲大陆贡献了大批电影大师。之后成为老师杜甫仁科的助手，杜甫仁科是苏联诗电影的祖先，塔尔科夫斯基和帕拉杰诺夫都得益于他的教诲。 根据俄罗斯作家莱蒙托夫的故事改编。一个游吟诗人在路途上花了一千个白天和黑夜，随时随地尽其所能为人们带来快乐。他的流动的生活方式看似毫无目的，其实不然。他希望在一千个日日夜夜之后，能够挣到足够的钱举办婚礼......如果新娘还在等他的话。 Wandering minstrel Ashik Kerib falls in love with a rich merchant's daughter, but is spurned by her father and forced to roam the world for a thousand and one nights - but not before he's got the daughter to promise not to marry till his return. It's told in typical Paradjanov style, in a series of visually ravishing 'tableaux vivants' overlaid with Turkish and Azerbaijani folksongs.

The film is set in southern Georgia, which until the end of XIX century was dominated by the Ottoman Empire. The tragic time to be born people of high strength of spirit, such as Antimoz Iverieli - the philosopher-educator. Having experienced in childhood cruelty and injustice, it becomes the path of serving others. Having been removed by the Turks in Romania, a hero at any cost wants to return home. However hard and long this way. Sentenced to death, Antimoz remains in the memory of his countrymen champion of justice.