A drunken, boorish general tyrannises his wife and his maid. When the wife discovers that her husband and the maid are having an affair, she turns the maid out of the house, little realising that the young woman is pregnant with the general's child. Years later, the general is dead, and a younger generation has risen with a new outlook on life and new problems to face... This flamboyantly stylised melodrama, loosely adapted from Ibsen, is the newest work by one of the legendary figures of Iran's New Wave.

Set against the stunning landscape of rural Iran, Shirak is a symbolic rural drama centered on a young boy who lives in a small agricultural village that is being terrorized by wild boars. When his father is mauled to death by the boars during an attack on one of the village fields, Shirak suddenly finds himself the head of the household. Determined to hunt down the dangerous animals and kill them, he picks dates in order to be able to purchase a watchdog from one of the local villagers. Together, Shirak and his dog confront the beasts when they attack the village.

This film tells the story of a semi modern Iranian couple, who are trying to fight the old beliefs and old generation. This is a failing battle because the man is not strong enough.