What Is Tobacco About?
The premise of Tobacco in 267 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the Bulgarian countryside of the early twentieth century, Boris Morev dreams of a life far removed from his humble origins as a Latin teacher’s son. While his younger brothers find purpose in the Communist cause, Boris hungers for something different: wealth, influence, and the power that comes with commanding industry. His ambition burns against a backdrop of sweeping social change, where old empires crumble and new ideologies compete for the soul of a nation.
The tobacco fields of Bulgaria become both setting and symbol in this tale of aspiration and moral compromise. Irina, a young woman from the district administration, captures Boris’s heart during a grape harvest — yet fate and Boris’s own calculations lead him down a different path. When opportunity presents itself through marriage into the owner’s family of the prestigious Nicotiana tobacco factory, Boris must weigh his desires against the bonds he has already formed.
As World War II engulfs Europe, the pressures of survival and prosperity test every relationship Boris has built. The factory becomes a microcosm of larger struggles: workers organize, bombs fall on Sofia, and the partisan resistance grows bolder. Irina returns to Boris’s life under circumstances neither could have predicted, carrying her own complexities and secrets. In a world where moral lines blur and every choice carries consequences, Boris must navigate between German business interests, his own family’s divided loyalties, and the woman who has always understood him best.
This adaptation of Dimitar Dimov’s 1954 novel paints a portrait of ambition against history’s relentless tide — where one man’s pursuit of dominance becomes inextricably bound to a nation’s transformation.
What Happens in Tobacco?
The complete story of Tobacco, from the first scene to the last, in 290 words (about 1 minute). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
Boris Morev, [Yordan Matev], Pavel Morev, [Ivan Kasabov], and Stefan [Stefan Petrov] are the sons of a poor Latin teacher in the Bulgarian countryside. Boris is ambitious and dreams of money and power, while his younger brothers align with the Communist cause and the party. Boris meets Irina [Nevena Kokanova] at a grape harvest and falls in love with her, while Pavel falls for her friend Lila [Miroslava Stoyanova], who is also a member of the Communist Party. Irina’s father is a senior guard from the district administration.
When Irina leaves the countryside to study medicine in Sofia, Boris marries Maria [Tzvetana Ostrovska], the daughter of the owner of the Nicotiana tobacco factory. After Maria’s father dies, Boris inherits the factory and becomes rich. However, his wife’s health deteriorates; she is mentally ill and cannot recognise the people around her. Irina and Boris become lovers, and after Maria’s death, they marry. Shortly before that, Irina’s father is killed during a strike at the factory.
Boris makes deals with German entrepreneurs, while Sofia is bombed by the Allies, and Irina becomes increasingly aware of his true nature. World War II is coming to an end, and Boris plans a big deal with a Greek merchant. Its success depends on von Geir, the general director of a German tobacco concern, [Wolfgang Langhoff]. Boris asks Irina to seduce him. Attracted by Nietzschean philosophy and von Geir’s aristocracy, Irina becomes his lover. The three go to Greece where Boris arranges the biggest deal of his life. Exhausted by alcohol, he contracts malaria and dies.
As the English army advances, the partisans go into open combat actions. On 9 September 1944, Irina buries Boris in the place where they first met. A shot rings out.
Tobacco Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
14 key events in the order they happen, from “Boris's rural roots” to “Buries Boris at their first meeting place; a shot rings out”. 14 events name a place, across 8 locations.
- 1
Boris's rural roots
Born into poverty in the Bulgarian countryside, Boris grows up as one of several sons of a poor Latin teacher. He harbors ambition for money and power from an early age, setting a goal that drives his future choices. This humble beginning foreshadows the conflict between his aspirations and the world around him.
Where:Bulgarian countryside
- 2
First meeting with Irina at the grape harvest
At a grape harvest, Boris meets Irina and falls in love. The encounter sparks a personal conflict between his romantic dreams and his growing drive for wealth and power. The moment sets the path for a tumultuous partnership.
Where:Grape harvest site, Bulgarian countryside
- 3
Irina leaves for Sofia to study medicine
Irina leaves the countryside to study medicine in Sofia. The separation creates distance between her and Boris and pushes him toward a strategic marriage. This shift marks the beginning of a life split between love and ambition.
Where:Sofia, Bulgaria
- 4
Boris marries Maria, factory owner's daughter
Boris marries Maria, the daughter of the Nicotiana tobacco factory owner. The marriage secures social status and a foothold in wealth. It anchors him in the business world that will later fund his deals.
Where:Nicotiana tobacco factory, Bulgaria
- 5
Maria's father dies; Boris inherits the factory
After Maria's father dies, Boris inherits the tobacco factory and becomes rich. The windfall accelerates his climb up the social ladder. The factory's success foreshadows his later deals with international interests.
Where:Nicotiana tobacco factory, Bulgaria
- 6
Irina's father killed during factory strike
Shortly before Boris and Irina marry, Irina's father is killed during a strike at the factory. The tragedy reveals the brutal costs of wartime industry. This event hardens Irina's view of Boris's ambitions.
Where:Nicotiana tobacco factory, Bulgaria
- 7
Irina and Boris begin an extramarital affair
Irina and Boris begin an extramarital affair while Maria remains in Boris's life. The relationship complicates their standings and foreshadows the dissolution of the marriage. Irina's growing attachment deepens the conflict between personal desire and social duty.
Where:Bulgarian countryside / factory vicinity
- 8
Maria dies; Boris and Irina marry
Maria dies, and Boris and Irina marry. The union cements a partnership built on ambition and romance. Irina's influence grows as she moves deeper into Boris's world.
Where:Nicotiana tobacco factory, Bulgaria
- 9
Boris negotiates with German entrepreneurs
With World War II in full swing, Boris begins deals with German entrepreneurs. Sofia experiences Allied bombing as the war reaches Bulgarian soil. These negotiations pull him deeper into the wartime economy and international ties.
When:late World War II Where:Sofia, Bulgaria
- 10
Irina seduces von Geir to secure the deal
Boris asks Irina to seduce von Geir, the general director of a German tobacco concern, to secure a crucial deal. Irina is drawn to von Geir's Nietzschean philosophy and aristocratic bearing. The scheme intensifies the personal web surrounding the business.
When:late World War II Where:Germany
Show the other 4 events of Tobacco Hide the last 4 events
- 11
Trip to Greece and the biggest deal
Irina becomes von Geir's lover, and the three travel to Greece where Boris arranges the biggest deal of his life. The arrangement blends romance with high-stakes commerce in a Europe frayed by war. The journey marks the culmination of Boris's scheming and Irina's complicity.
When:late World War II Where:Greece
- 12
Boris dies of malaria in Greece
Exhausted by alcohol and treachery, Boris contracts malaria and dies in Greece. His death ends his grand ambitions just as the war nears its end. The fall of his empire echoes the collapse of wartime opportunism.
When:late World War II Where:Greece
- 13
English army advances; partisans take action
As the English army advances, partisans take to open combat actions across the region. The conflict tightens around those who live by manipulation and power. The closing chapters reveal the era's violence and the consequences of Boris's pursuit.
When:late World War II Where:Eastern Europe (Bulgarian region)
- 14
Buries Boris at their first meeting place; a shot rings out
On 9 September 1944, Irina buries Boris in the place where they first met. A shot rings out, hinting at unresolved danger and the violence of the era. The final moment closes the intertwined story amid the war's chaos.
When:9 September 1944 Where:Grape harvest site, Bulgarian countryside
Who Are the Main Characters in Tobacco?
5 characters, among them Boris Morev, Irina (Nevena Kokanova) and Lila (Miroslava Stoyanova): who each one is and the part they play in the story. 4 of them link to the actor’s page.
- BM
Boris Morev
The eldest of three brothers, Boris is driven by an insatiable hunger for money and power. He inherits the Nicotiana tobacco factory and leverages it to amass wealth, while his personal life becomes a tool for advancing his ambitions. His ruthless decisions strain familial bonds and betray those closest to him, culminating in a fatal downfall tied to his grand schemes amid wartime turmoil.
- 💰 Ambition
- 🕴️ Ruthless
- 🔗 Manipulation
- I(
Irina (Nevena Kokanova)
Played by Nevena Kokanova
Irina is Boris’s lover who later becomes his wife after a sequence of turbulent relationships. She is entangled in power plays and seduction, including an affair with von Geir, driven by a mix of personal desire and political pragmatism. Her choices reflect a tension between affection and self-preservation in a corrupt world.
- ❤️ Love
- 🧭 Moral ambiguity
- 🎭 Duality
- L(
Lila (Miroslava Stoyanova)
Played by Miroslava Stoyanova
A friend of Irina and a member of the Communist Party, Lila embodies ideological commitment and social awareness. She stands alongside the party’s ideals while navigating personal connections, including a complicated dynamic with Pavel that tests loyalty and conviction.
- 🧭 Ideology
- ❤️ Loyalty
- 🎭 Political theater
- M(
Maria (Tzvetana Ostrovska)
Played by Tzvetana Ostrovska
Daughter of the tobacco factory owner and Boris’s wife, Maria embodies social status and vulnerability. Her health deteriorates over time, she becomes mentally unwell, and her life ends as the war’s pressures mount, highlighting the fragility of wealth and the human cost behind power.
- 💔 Illness
- 🏛️ Status
- 💼 Wealth
- PM
Pavel Morev (Ivan Kasabov)
Played by Ivan Kasabov
Pavel is Boris’s brother who aligns with Communist ideals. He loves Lila and embodies the ideological counterweight to Boris’s greed, navigating wartime loyalties and personal relationships with a mix of passion and principled resistance.
- 🧭 Ideology
- 💙 Love
- 🎯 Loyalty
Where and When Is Tobacco Set?
Tobacco is set in Bulgarian countryside, Sofia and Greece (World War II era (1939-1945)). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
World War II era (1939-1945)
The events span the late 1930s through 1944, a period of occupation, wartime commerce, and political upheaval. The narrative follows how war disrupts society, fuels collaborations, and intensifies personal moral choices. The climax coincides with the Allied advance and Bulgaria’s wartime turning points, culminating in a fatal shot on 9 September 1944.
Where
Bulgarian countryside, Sofia, Greece
The story unfolds across rural Bulgaria and the urban center of Sofia, with key scenes inside a tobacco factory. The landscape shifts from agricultural fields to factories and streets where power and money govern life. A chapter of the plot also takes the characters to Greece, highlighting international deals and wartime tensions.
- 🏞️ Countryside
- 🏙️ Sofia
- 🇬🇷 Greece
What Are the Themes of Tobacco?
4 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Greed, Love and Morality.
-
01
Greed
Boris pursues money and status with single-minded determination, shaping the family’s fortunes and the factory’s fate. Wealth becomes a social weapon that distances him from his roots and from those he claims to love. The pursuit of wealth drives others to compromise their beliefs and loyalties. The film uses Boris’s rise to critique how money can corrupt ethics and relationships.
-
02
Love
Romance and desire drive dangerous choices, entangling Boris with Irina and later with von Geir. Irina’s affections mix personal longing with strategic survival in a world of shifting alliances. Lila’s loyalty to the Communist cause contrasts with the intimate betrayals around her. The love dynamics reveal vulnerability and moral ambiguity in wartime relationships.
-
03
Morality
The characters confront ethical gray areas in a war-torn society where loyalties blur. Irina’s seductions mix genuine emotion with political calculation, testing moral boundaries. Partisan resistance and factory strikes add a layer of collective ethics to individual actions. The narrative question is whether ends justify the means in such a volatile era.
-
04
War
War acts as a backdrop that amplifies exploitation, danger, and opportunism. German occupation, Allied bombing, and strikes force choices that reveal true character. The conflict reshapes families, power hierarchies, and personal destinies. The final turn of events is inseparable from the broader violence of the period.
What Kind of Film Is Tobacco?
Bleak in tone, with steady pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Bleak
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bleak
A relentlessly bleak and morally complex drama set against wartime Bulgaria, charting one man's ruthless ambition and descent into corruption against a backdrop of personal tragedy and political upheaval.
- bleak
- oppressive
- tragic
- melancholic
- atmospheric
- grim
- ambition
- betrayal
- tragedy
- world war ii
Content notes: war violence, mental illness, manipulation, death.
Quiz
How well do you remember Tobacco? Test yourself on the story.
