It is the ending of the Russian Civil War, a desert somewhere in Russian controlled Asia, near the Caspian sea. After two years fighting in that region a Red Army soldier Fyodor Ivanovich Sukhov (Anatoli Kuznetsov) is returning home to his wife (Rayisa Kurkina). On the way he rescues Sayid (Spartak Mishulin) a man buried up to his neck in the sand and left to die. Sayid's father has been murdered and he is after revenge although he feels indebted to Sukhov for his rescue. Sukhov and Sayid come across a Red Army regiment who are chasing a famous bandit Black Abdullah (Kakhi Kavsadze) and have rescued his many wives whom he would have killed if it wasn't for their intervention. Head of the regiment Rakhimov (Musa Dudayev) talks Sukhov into looking after the women and leaves him a young inexperienced soldier Petrukha (Nikolai Godovikov). Sayid also leaves while Sukhov and the rest come to a dilapidated village near Caspian shore and settle in an old building which has been converted into a museum. In the area there is only the museum which is a large building with a courtyard and few ruins around it, a customs agent's building some distance away on the seashore and some distance away from that on the shore a beached boat and a few oil cisterns. There are also three old men waiting for the forth old man to die and a box of dynamite they use for as a headrest for the dieing man which Sukhov commandeers. Sukhov knows Abdullah is coming back and takes defensive measures. He rigs the boat with dynamite and seeks to borrow a machine gun (and help) from pre-revolution customs official Vereschagin (Pavel Luspekayev). Vereschagin lives a quiet life with his wife. He misses the old days when he was a man of action, drinks and sings songs. He is tempted to help but on insistence of his wife he cannot. Unable to obtain the good gun, Sukhov repairs a machine gun (Lewis Gun) from the museum. Meanwhile Sayid comes across Abdullah who insists Sayid travels with him. Abdullah rides into the museum to kill his wives but Sukhov outsmarts and captures him. He gets Abdullah to send his men away to the shore to load the boat then locks him up. Sukhov leaves to check on Abdullah's men leaving Petrukha to stand watch. Abdullah tricks his youngest wife, Gyulchatai (Tatyana Kuzmina) into opening the door to his cell. He kills Gyulchatai then Petrukha and escapes to summon his men. When Sukhov comes back the museum curator tells him of an underground passage to the seashore. As Abdullah rides in Sukhov and the women take the passage to the shore and hide in an empty oil cistern. The cistern is bullet-proof so Abdullah plans to force them out by lighting oil around the cistern. Vereschagin comes to see what is happening. He learns that Petrukha has been killed by Abdullah. He has taken a liking to Petrukha and this proves the last straw for Vereschagin. He leaves. In the meantime Abdullah attempts to light the oil around the cistern where Sukhov is hiding. The attempts are foiled by Sayid and Sukhov. In the ensuing gunfire most of Abdullah's gang is killed and there is a standoff. Sukhov is forced to leave the cistern top and is pinned but one of Abdullah's men. In the meantime Vereschagin slips away fgrom home, boards and commandeers the boat. Abdullah sends people to eliminate him but Vereschagin gets the better of them. He drives the boat closer to shore to help pinned Sukhov. Sukhov tries to warn him of the dynamite but is unable to. Vereschagin explodes with the boat. The explosion distracts Abdullah and his man giving Sukhov the initiative. A shootout ensues and Sukhov eliminates the Abdullah and the last bandit. Sayid and Sukhov part ways as Sukhov resumes his journey home.