Corn Island

Spring floods form a small silt island on the Enguri River, a land with no owner. An old man and his orphaned granddaughter decide to claim it and start a simple life. They begin planning their future on this fragile new land.

The duo moves onto the island, erects a simple hut, and plants corn in the nutrient-rich soil. The old man takes pride in his granddaughter's education and hopes she will earn a diploma next year. The isolation of the island heightens their dependence on each other.

Even as spring unfolds, the granddaughter continues her schooling back on the mainland and the old man eagerly awaits her diploma next year. He believes education will open doors beyond the island. The couple clings to this hope as daily life carries on.

Georgian soldiers pass by along the shore and exchange quiet nods with the Abkhazian residents. The brief moment underscores a tense political boundary in the region. On the island, life continues with wary coexistence.

The soldiers linger on the opposite shore, leer at the granddaughter, and evoke a mix of curiosity and resentment in her. She experiences a troubling mix of fascination and discomfort toward the attention. The moment reveals the vulnerability of youth in a contested space.

One night, the granddaughter swims in the river and a shotgun noise startles her, causing a fall into the water. She manages to rescue herself and returns to the hut, shaken but safe. The incident exposes the island's hidden dangers and the fragility of their sanctuary.

The next morning the old man discovers a wounded soldier taking shelter on the island and hides him from pursuers. The stranger's presence unsettles the quiet, offering both danger and protection. The granddaughter's curiosity and the old man's duty collide in this uneasy hospitality.

A flirtatious encounter with the granddaughter and a close brush with Georgian soldiers who drink the old man's wine push the wounded man to depart. The old man protects him for a time, but the soldier ultimately slips away under pressure. The episode deepens the island's sense of peril and longing.

When the soldier's comrades arrive, his Russian background is revealed, but the old man refuses to turn them over. The standoff highlights the broader ethnic and political fault lines surrounding the island. Yet hospitality and suspicion coexist in a fragile balance.

As summer ends, heavy floods begin to pull the island apart, washing away corn stalks and the little harvest they hoped to gather. The landscape shifts and the fragile life the old man built faces collapse. The couple prepares for the island's looming disintegration.

They fill a small boat with as many ears of corn as possible, leaving no room for the old man. He pushes the boat into the churning water and clings to the hut as the island breaks apart. The old man drowns in the river's undercurrent, sacrificing himself to save his granddaughter.

In the following spring, a new man arrives at the remains of the island and discovers a ragdoll buried in the silt—the granddaughter's toy from the previous year. He washes the doll and places it in his boat, beginning the island's cycle anew. The ragdoll serves as a silent symbol of memory and renewal.