The film takes place in the beginning of the 20th century in a Gypsy camp on the Tisza river in the Zakarpattia region on the outskirts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Two young proud gypsies Loiko and Rada fall in love but believe that family life is a ball and chain that would fetter their independence. The first time Loiko meets Rada is when he becomes wounded and she finds him and heals him. Then the horse thief and the beauty meet again when Loiko accompanies Bucha from Rada's Gypsy camp and comes into the camp itself, which is headed by old Nur. Local middle-aged landowner-nobleman Antol Siladi also falls in love with Rada whom he meets during his walks through the city, but she rejects him in full view of her camp and the unfortunate amorous gentleman curses the young Gypsy. The bold and lucky horse thief Loiko successfully steals a white mare as Rada wishes. However he incurs the wrath of the authorities who are preparing a raid in his encampment, and the proud and beautiful sister of Loiko – Rusalina makes resistance attempts. Loiko's father finally gives his son over to the gendarmes, who sent his friend Talimon shortly before that to the master Balint for the purpose of debt collection. Unfortunately Balint says that Loiko promised to come to the estate as it was previously understood, and his servant stabs the Gypsy with forks in the stables. Meanwhile local authorities sentence Loiko to death but nevertheless Loiko manages to escape his penalty although he ends up losing his friend Bubulia who comes to his aid. The horse thief catches up with Rada's Gypsy camp and presents the Gypsy mare to her. Rada has fun with Loiko on the river bank and then spends the night with him during which she offers him grape juice. At the end of the film Loiko, despite the gloomy predictions of the old Gypsy healer comes accompanied by his old friend Aralambi into Rada's camp and asks his blacksmith friend Makar Choudhra to be his best man at the wedding . Then, he walks up to Rada and has a dialogue where she doubts his mental strength by claiming he has tamed only tame horses so far. He admits and holds a speech where he says that he would kneel in front of her and kiss her hand. Rada humiliates him however by whipping his legs so that he falls. Loiko stands up and demands her hand, instead of kneeling first. She demands that he fulfills his claim that he would get on his knees and kiss her hand. But he refuses to do so and demands her hand once again. And again she refuses, so he draws a knife and stabs her in the chest, killing her. The father of Rada – the old soldier Danilo who was present at his daughter's murder, stabs Loiko in the back, killing him whilst Loiko holds Rada and panics after what he has done.
The film skillfully captures music and dancing. Songs such as "Malyarkitsa", "Dyves and rat", "Apple", "Nane tsoha" and others which were previously sung in the 1930s were chosen by composer Eugene Doga and sung anew by Roma theater performers from the Romen Theatre. Roma cameos in the film were played by actors of that theater and of the Moldavian film studio, and the role of the mayor and his entourage - the actors of the Lithuanian Film Studios because the episodes were filmed in the city of Vilnius and Kaunas, as the old architecture of these cities sometimes very similar to the Bessarabia town.
