Ivan is Russian and his neighbor Assan is Kazakh. Both live side by side in a small Kazakh Village. When Ivan’s wife gives birth to a “brown” boy, Ivan suspects that she has been cheating on him with Assan. Later Assan’s wife gives birth to a ginger boy. Now Assan accuses her of adultery. Both fathers agonize over the alienation of their sons alike. Finally Ivan sets off to see his grandfather on the other side of the border and discovers the true story of his family. Assan also disappears to roam aimlessly through Mongolia. Ivan learns that generations ago his family had nomadic ancestors. Assan comes to terms with himself and the world on his journey to the Southern seas. In the end one thing is clear: after generations of love and hatred they are all somehow related to each other, Russians with Kazakhs, Christians with Muslims, Europeans with Asians.
Jean-Philippe Tessé
