A história começa em 1919, com alguns refugiados gregos de Odessa, na Ucrânia, que chegam perto de Thessaloniki, na Grécia. Os refugiados constroem uma pequena aldeia, perto de um rio, e vemos as crianças a crescerem e a apaixonarem-se.

With his sweeping, observational camera gliding across the theatrical tableaux of his astonishing compositions, Theo Angelopoulos forges a panoramic study in the landscapes of his national history. The first film in an unfinished triptych, The Weeping Meadow is an expansive, elliptical masterwork.