Dersu Uzala

1902. A group of Russian soldiers, led by Captain Vladimir Arseniev, are on assignment to survey the harsh wilderness of the Ussuri region of East Siberia. On their travels, they meet Dersu Uzala, a nomadic Goldi all alone in the world since smallpox took the lives of his wife and children, he who lives solely by hunting, both for food and what he can sell. From his knowledge of the land through which they must travel, Arseniev hires Dersu to be their guide. While Dersu's ways are seemingly simple to many of the soldiers, he and Arseniev form an emotional bond, for Arseniev because of Dersu's kindness not only toward him and the others, but his deep spirituality and wisdom about the life he leads. The story of their friendship is told, one that cannot be fully bridged due to the two very different worlds in which they generally inhabit.