Anisia and Aksinia are twin sisters from the remote Russian village of Meshchera, living according to early 20th-century traditions that value the power of the Knower, a spiritual guardian. During the ritual to elect a new Knower, the choice suddenly falls on the less ambitious but more docile Aksinia, who clearly will make a less powerful sorceress. Anisia, initially a contender for the position, harbors a grudge. Pride consumes her, so she adopts the skills of the evil village witches to steal her sister's powers. This betrayal leads to a curse falling on the two sisters and the entire village. Anisia must come to terms with her pride and resentment to defeat the evil within herself and save the village. In this endeavor, she is assisted by the priest Father Sergiy, who restores Anisia's faith in God.