The Weeping Meadow is the first film in Theo Angelopoulos' 'Trilogy', that tells of the fate of the Greek people through the relationship between two refugees - a relationship that spans the 20th century all the way to the early 21st.

The story begins in 1919 with Greek refugees from Odessa arriving somewhere near Thessaloniki. Among these settlers are Spyros; his wife, Danae and their 11-year old son Alexis. Also under the families guidence is Eleni, a young orphan who is the same age as Alexis.

Years later, and Spyros' family are prospering, but Eleni has fallen pregnant by Alexis. resulting in twin babies, Yannis and Yorgis. Forced to birth the children in secret, she passes them on for adoption. When Spyros' wife dies, he becomes obsessed with Eleni and their marriage is arranged. However, Eleni flees with Alexis and they flee from Spyros. But, the vengeful Spyros is determined to track them down.

Angelopoulos' sweeping epic is a magnificent, visually stunning reflection on the turbulent history of Greece in the 20th century.