To the west of Siberia live the Selkup people - fishermen and hunters that survive from what nature can offer. Today many of the remaining Selkup have moved to the villages. However, as there is hardly any work, the forest is still their prime means of existence. This film documents the life of Yuri Mihailovits Kalin and his family, belonging to the Selkup of the North who live on the banks of the Tas river.

     They are nomads and use reindeer to pull their sleds over the frozen trails in Siberia. The region provides them with meat, red fruit, and fish. At the start of winter, they hunt elk, and then survive on sable-marten, an animal typical of the cold regions of Asia and Europe.

     The basic elements in the life of these people remain practically unchanged. They sacrifice to the forest and, in exchange, receive gifts from it. Forest and Selkups are one and the same.