Babylon XX

Red Navy sailor Klym Synytsia arrives in Babylon with aims to build a communist commune. He publicly destroys depictions of Tsar Nicholas II and his family using grenades, declaring 'Polundra!' as a bold statement against the old order. The act signals a dramatic shift for the village.

The village's grave digger and self-styled philosopher, Fabian, returns to Babylon after the upheaval. His reappearance sets the stage for the village’s simmering philosophical and political tensions. He becomes a witness to the changing power dynamics.

Darynka, a caretaker the brothers trust, notices Bubela quietly hoarding weapons in an effort to kill Synytsia. She informs Danko and Lukian, injecting the plot with a dangerous conspiracy. The knowledge foreshadows the violent clashes to come.

Danko pursues Malva romantically, hoping to win her affection amid the village’s turmoil. Malva, drawn to the possibility of joining the commune, cares little for Danko’s offer and remains fixated on Synytsia and the commune project. This budding romance will complicate loyalties.

Malva visits the former manor seeking acceptance into the commune, but Synytsia distrusts her motives and rejects her. He sends Malva home with the poet Volodia Yavorskyi, a gesture that stirs Danko’s jealousy. The social friction deepens among the village's factions.

Malva and Volodia Yavorskyi begin an affair, complicating the already tense political landscape. Malva becomes pregnant with Yavorskyi’s child, binding her fate to both the commune and the poet. Their relationship intensifies the competing loyalties in Babylon.

Danko and Lukian mourn their mother’s death and attend an elaborate funeral. It is revealed that a treasure lies buried under a pear tree in Babylon, a discovery that hints at hidden wealth and old loyalties. After the funeral, the brothers dig up the treasure and uncover Cossack weapons.

The dig under the pear tree exposes the treasure and reveals a cache of Cossack weapons. This windfall reshapes the brothers’ calculations about power, wealth, and who controls the village’s fate. The discovery intensifies the conflict between the families and factions.

Bubela and his kulak militia ambush and kill Volodia Yavorskyi, eliminating the romantic rival who complicates Malva’s loyalties. Malva’s pregnancy ties her fate to the village’s volatile future in ways she cannot escape. The murder escalates the personal stakes amidst political struggle.

On the eve of an attempted strike against Synytsia, Bubela has Fabian prepare his own grave, a grim symbolic act of his readiness to face death. The ominous task foreshadows the looming confrontation between the kulaks and the communists. The village mood grows dark and tense.

On Epiphany night, the kulaks seize the communists, and fighting erupts across Babylon. Danko sides with the kulaks, while Lukian aligns with the communists, splitting the brothers’ loyalties. Fabian struggles to keep order as Bubela stirs the crowd.

The riot spirals as Bubela’s provocations push the village toward chaos. Danko attempts to shoot Malva in a desperate bid to quell the turmoil, but the shot instead hits Fabian, ending the two men’s fates in a single moment. The villagers reel from the cost of factional violence.