Trama

The little Nansal finds a baby dog in the Mongolian veld, who becomes her best friend against all rejections of her parents.

The little nomad girl Nansal finds a baby dog in the Mongolian veld, who becomes her best friend - against all rejections of her parents. A story about a Mongolian family of nomads - their traditional way of life and the rising call of the City.—Carmen Oberhofer

The story opens with Nansal returning from boarding school to her family. The family lives on a typical Mongolian land. Nansal had lost her pet dog, and her father buries it with its tail under his head, so he can be reborn as a person with a ponytail, instead of a dog and a tail. Mongols believes that everyone dies, but that nobody is truly dead.

The family of five lives in a Yurt and lives off of their livestock, which include sheep, goats, and cattle. A Yurt, also known as a Ger in Mongolian, is a portable, round tent used as a dwelling, particularly by nomadic groups in Central Asia. It's characterized by a wooden lattice framework covered with durable materials like felt or canvas. Yurts are designed to be easily assembled and disassembled, making them suitable for nomadic lifestyles.

Nansal's father is worried about his family's survival because of the wolves that have been attacking their herd at night. Nansal has a younger sister and a younger brother, and the siblings spend their time playing in the open grounds surrounding their Yurt. The family uses dung cakes for fuel and Nansal is assigned the task of collecting more of them.

Nansal's father meets with a couple of hunters and informs them about the wolf infestation in his area. The hunters tell him that many people are selling their livestock and moving to the city. The hunters ask Nansal's father to pick up some ammunition for them when he goes to the sell skins of the dead sheep.

Nansal is very clumsy and drops more cakes to the ground that what she collects in her basket that she carries on her back. While Nansal is out collecting dung, she stumbles across a cave in which she finds a black and white dog. She brings the dog home and names it "Zochor" (Spot). Her father is worried, knowing that wolves live in caves and may follow its scent and kill their livestock.

The family relies on sheep for their milk, around which their whole life revolves. Nansals's mother converts the milk into other products such as cheese and butter. The family is Buddhist.

The father departs for town on his motorbike, to sell the pelts of the sheep killed by wolves. He instructs his wife to get rid of the dog before he is home. The wife explains to Nansal that she cannot have everything that she lays her eyes on.

Nansal is sent out to graze the herd. Nansal is on a horse and is told to keep a particular mountain in sight at all times for her bearings, but she is distracted chasing Zochor all over the land and gets lost. The mother is distraught when the herd comes back without Nansal and goes out looking for her. A storm approaches the Mongolian plains, but Nansal's mother continues. She had left behind her other 2 kids alone at the Yurt to look for Nansal.

In abandoned Yurt, Nansal finally finds Zochor. She wakes him up and tries to find her way back home but is completely lost. Meanwhile Nansal finds refuge in the Yurt of an elderly woman. The old lady feeds Nansal and gives her shelter while a storm passes. The old woman gives food and dry clothes to Nansal, while she dries her wet clothes. The old woman also takes care of Zochor. It is here that Nansal hears the story of the Cave of the Yellow Dog.

In this story, a yellow dog is trapped in a cave with no exit by a man to cure his daughter's illness. The dog was very loyal to the family and protected the man and his herd. The village wise man told the man to kill the dog, but the man did not have the heart to do that, so he locked the dog in the dark cave instead. He brought food for the dog every day, but one day he found that the dog had escaped. The daughter got better as she was in love with a young man, and with the yellow dog gone, the couple could meet in secret without being disturbed. The young couple eventually had a child, and the yellow dog was probably reborn with a ponytail. The old woman says that human life is precious as it is almost impossible to be reborn as one. It is as impossible as trying to balance a grain of rice on the pointy end of a thin stick.

The mother finds Nansal soon after and takes her home. Zochor is still with the family when the father returns home. He is angry but still gives gifts to his wife and children, nonetheless, including a plastic ladle and a flashlight (torch). The father tries to sell Zochor to some wolf hunters, but Nansal tells them she found him in a cave and the deal falls through.

It is time for the family to move on. They pack up all of their belongings and the Yurt and load them onto carts to be pulled by their cattle. The three children are put onto the wagons, with Nansa watching her younger brother. Zochor is tied to a stake so he cannot follow them. Nansal is distracted by Zochor and does not watch her brother. Her brother escapes.

The family travels several miles until they realize that their son is not with them. The father turns back immediately and rushes back on his horse. Meanwhile, their son is stumbling slowly towards a flock of vultures. He ventures near a stream, while moving further and further from Zochor. When the son is right next to the flock, Zochor breaks free and scares them away. This is witnessed by the father who, in gratitude for protecting his son from harm, accepts Zochor into the family.

The father returns and hugs his son. In the final scene, the family's wagons travel down the road, with Zochor in the wagon with Nansal and a truck driving down the road blaring reminders to vote in the upcoming elections.