Somewhere in the mountains of the south sleeps Tengel the Evil—an enchanter who has cursed his descendants, the People of Ice, and promised to destroy them when he wakes. At the beginning of the 19th century, young Tula of the People of Ice is marked with the curse, though for a long time no one realizes it. The girl learns to play the flute despite the family legend that the sound of this instrument can wake up Tengel the Evil. The older members of the family—both the living and the dead—fear his awakening and take measures.