The first interest of the film is its depiction of a rural community just before and after WWI (yes, the time of the Russian Revolution). However, unlike other Soviet films, "Women of Ryazan", while being lyrical and beautifully photographed, has a real plot and never leaves it aside. The plot is mostly about the fate of two women (blond Anna and dark-haired Wassilissa), the first being a dutiful (if not submissive) doomed soldier's wife, the latter, more lively and energetic, who will openly defy the old way of life.