NATIVE DANCER

Aidai is an old Kazakh Baksy: she can heal people, find their souls and tell them where their stolen cattle has been hidden. She has been living on the land of a rich businessman, Ryspek, for years because that is the place she gets her strength to heal from. When local authorities want to build a petrol station and motel over where her house stands she is distraught. But the construction takes place and Aidai disappears... A year later, when someone burns down the petrol station, the station's developers think that Ryspek, the landowner, should cover their losses. When he refuses to do so, they kidnap his son. Now, Ryspek has to find Aidai, because only she will be able to find his son...

Life moves fast and changes every day. But there are things in life that have always been, always are and always will be. There are people without religion, outside of any social context, outside of time. People who know more about life than any other mortals - shamans, witch doctors and wizards. In difficult times, people turn to these individuals. And they almost always believe their predictions. Who are these people today and where do they live? ... 70 kilometers from Almata, there lives an old woman like this. People travel to her from all over Kazakhstan. Her house is always packed with people - people of different ages, different beliefs and different social situations. She calls herself the 'Keeper of the surrounding hills'. This is a film about her and about how she affects the lives of some people in my native country of Kazakhstan.