The Lake tells the story of a little girl named Jyldys who lives with her family in a village by the Issyk-Kul. Her life is harsh. Her peers make fun of her because she rarely talks and often stays in her own world. The only comfort she finds is in the company of an old wise man, Temirkul, who once was her father's teacher. Ever since Temirkul's own daughter drowned in the lake he holds onto the old legend about fish that embody the souls of those who are gone. The lake is truly sacred to him. When his wife dies, he has the idea to lay her body in the lake instead of burying her in the ground. Jyldys' father on the contrary is dedicated to old traditions and calls his former teacher's ideas insane. He believes the only way to help him is to pledge his own land to organize a proper funeral for his deceased wife.