The action unfolds in our days, in the small Volga town of Kalinov, where nothing has changed since the days of Alexander Ostrovsky’s classical play: if any rays of light do appear in the dark empire, then they are doomed to perish quietly in the general absurdity and ignorance, or shine brightly as a token of protest against lie and tyranny. The young, married girl Katerina Kabanova leads a happy life — at first sight. Only her mother-in-law Kabanikha constantly nags her and does not allow her to take things easy. Her weak-willed husband Tikhon loves his wife, but he always sides with his powerful mother. When Katerina unexpectedly falls in love with Boris, the young relative of the town’s mayor, she finds that he also has tender feelings for her…