Fifteen-year-old Stasik is growing up in a village in Ukraine while his parents are away working in western Europe. Now they want Stasik to follow and rejoin them. But he is carrying a secret that weighs heavily on him. Stasik is in love with his best friend Vassili. He needs to make a decision that will drastically affect his future.

A 14-year-old orphan named Krabat flees the horrors of the 30 Years War by becoming an apprentice to an ominous master of a mysterious mill. Krabat is not only taught the craft of milling, but is also instructed in the sinister world of the darker arts. When the life of his friend and protector is threatened, Krabat must struggle to free himself from an evil sorcerer's control in a gripping fight for freedom, friendship and love.