蜜芽传媒

Episode 1 of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, adapted for radio by Tanika Gupta, introduces us to Mykolai, an eccentric 84-year-old Ukrainian widower living in England. Still grieving his late wife Ludmyla, Mykolai shocks his daughter Nadiya with the news that he plans to remarry - to a glamorous 36-year-old woman from Ukraine named Valentyna.

To Mykolai, she is the embodiment of youth, art, and love - to his daughters, she is clearly an opportunist seeking British citizenship, money, and a future for her son, Stanislav.

As Nadiya struggles with disbelief and frustration, she is drawn back into a tense relationship with her estranged sister Vira. Both women wrestle with their own resentments and childhood grievances, even as they try to protect their father from Valentyna鈥檚 manipulations. Mykolai, however, insists that love and morality compel him to rescue Valentyna from hardship in Ukraine, dismissing warnings from his family and community.

Interwoven with the present-day drama are haunting recollections from Ludmyla, whose voice narrates fragments of family history - tales of war, famine, revolution, and loss. These memories connect the struggles of the past with the dilemmas of the present, reminding us that survival, desire, and hope are always entwined.

The episode closes with Mykolai鈥檚 dreams of love colliding with harsh reality - money, betrayal, and scandal deepen family tensions, setting the stage for battles over loyalty, inheritance, and truth.

An International Arts Partnership production for 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4