The momentous film stars Nikolai Nademsky as the grandfather of Timoshka (Semyon Svashenko), whom he alerts to secret treasure buried in the mountains of Zvenigora-- Treasure that rightfully belongs to his homeland. The film wonderfully blends both lyricism and politics and uses its central construct to build a montage praising Ukrainian industrialization, attacking the bourgeoisie, celebrating the beauty of the Ukrainian steppe and retelling ancient folklore. Said Sergei Eisenstein of the film, "As the lights went on, we felt that we had just witnessed a memorable event in the development of the cinema".