In late 19th century, a Transylvanian revolutionary fleeing the Imperial authorities goes to Italy where he meets a beautiful soprano who later disappears under mysterious circumstances.

This movie follows the story of a young man - Mihai Brad, who works for a industrial plant. He reaches a turning point in his life when his bosses discuss his admittance in the Young Worker Union, a communist organization, which can help propel his career forward. Mihai calls to remembrance his early days of his job after leaving his village with dreams of having his own house and a decent life. He first starts low as a unqualified worker and each month he saves all his money. The UTM organization tries to convince him to improve his skills become a qualified worker but he refuses saying that he soon wants to go back to his village and be a shepherd.