Katerina Ismailova: Evelina Stoitseva
Boris Timofeyevich: Michail Petrov
Zinovy Borisovich: Kosio Lungov
Millhand: Christo Christov
Sergei: Ivan Dimov
Aksinia: Stoyanka Koleva
Shabby Peasant: Christo Krondev
Worker 1: Boris I. Christov
Worker 2: Aleksander Chavorski
Priest: Victor Grigorov
Chief of Police: Dobrin Manikov
Conductor: Romeo RaichevRuse, 6 April 1965, sung in Bulgarian
| Act 1 | Scene 1 In Ismailov's farmhouse, Katerina bemoans her fate: a boor of a husband, an abusive father-in-law and no children. Her husband, Zinovy, leaves on business. His father makes her swear to be faithful. |
| 19:00 | Scene 2 The workmen in the farmyard attack the cook, Aksinia. When Katerina attempts to break up the attack the new hand, Sergei, interferes and overpowers her. |
| 28:50 | Scene 3 As Katerina prepares for bed, Sergei enters, supposedly for a book. Katerina resists his advances only briefly before succumbing. |
| Act 2 | Scene 1 Boris sees the light in the master bedroom and plans to visit his daughter-in-law when he sees Sergei emerging from the house. He whips the farmhand as Katerina watches. Tired from his exertions, Boris demands supper from Katerina who poisons the mushrooms she serves him. Boris dies in agony; the priest who administers last rites suspects nothing. |
| 28:25 | Scene 2 On her bed, Katerina and Sergei are making love. Her promise to marry him is interrupted by Boris's ghost before Zinovy returns and asks what has transpired. Defiantly, Katerina enlists Sergei's help in strangling her husband; they conceal the body in the cellar. |
| Act 3 | Scene 1 Katerina's return to the cellar is seen by an old peasant looking for vodka. He stumbles on Zinovy's corpse and runs to the police. |
| 06:30 | Scene 2 At the station, the police complain that Katerina did not invite them to her wedding while taunting a teacher. At the peasant's report of a body, they rush off to see what has transpired. |
| 14:50 | Scene 3 In drunken revelry at the farm, Katerina finds the cellar open and resolves to flee with her new husband. The police arrive before they can leave and they are taken into custody. |
| Act 4 | The column of prisoners including Katerina and Sergei halts beside a lake in Siberia. Sergei and his new innamorata taunt Katerina who throws herself into the river with her infant daughter as the convicts bemoan their dreary fate. |
