A simple, religious Hungarian woodcutter lives with his wife and boy child with a small community of squatters among the peaceful mountains of Transylvania until a lumber company claims their land and forces them all to become company workers or else leave the land. This 1942 Hungarian film takes a detailed and unflinching look at the hardships of mountain living, and the realistic approach proved influential to the Neorealist movement in Italian cinema. Hungarian master director Istvan Szots won the Biennale Cup at the Venice Film Festival for his auspicious debut, but the film was banned by the Nazis as "too Catholic" and not publicly exhibited until after World War II.

The subject of this film is Dr. Ivan Egry, a young man, who becomes infatuated with Edit Ralben, the beautiful, but flirtatious, daughter of a prominent man. As the two get involved romantically, problems start to plague their relationship. When they end up separating, Ivan finds comfort with Josza, a pretty girl, much more stable than Edit, but far less glamorous. When Edit eventually re-enters Ivan’s life, he can’t resist her. Unable to resolve his conflicting emotions results in an abruptly tragic finale.

In the 1600s, Hungary is plundered by the Turks and the Laban. Kecskemét, the free royal city, is not exempt from this. Miska, the wily son of Lestyák, a master tailor, suggests to the town council that they should ask for a permanent beacon from Buda, thus protecting Kecskemét from the harassment of raiding troops. The town assembles its gift of jewellery, cloth and a beautiful girl, and Miska sets off for Buda. On the way, the young gypsy girl falls in love with Mishka, who elopes with her in a boy's dress. He can do this because instead of the bewitchment he hopes for, he is given only a fancy robe to protect the city. Little do they know at the time how much the robe is worth. Before its wearer, all true believers will crumble to dust and do his bidding.

Student Gábor and cigarette-smoking student Mujkó sneak into the Buda rose garden of baba Gül and fall in love with Leila, the daughter of baba Gül, who is bathing there and is destined to be the 33rd wife of Ali Basa. The guard captures the student and death awaits him and his companions.

Pista Dankó falls in love with Ilonka Jáky, the beautiful blonde lady, so his old love, Rózsi, the wild gypsy girl, puts a curse on him. Ilonka elopes with Pista and they marry. They live in difficult circumstances, but Lajos Pósa takes up the talented young man. Pista wants to recover his legendary violin, which has fallen into the possession of a Russian prince, so he goes on a tour of Russia. Here he meets Rózsi, who has become a famous dancer and now has a hold on him too. Meanwhile, Pista falls ill and returns home to die. In his last hours, a package arrives from Rosie. He plays his last song with the returned violin.

Az Uj Foldesur (The New Squire) was based on a novel by popular Hungarian author Maurice Jokal, whose many works had previously been largely ignored. After the wars of 1848, a retired Austrian army officer "returns to the soil" as a gentleman farmer in Hungary in the 1850s. The old campaigner is the father of two daughters: One of the girls comes to a sad end thanks to the malfeasances of a handsome spy, but the other has a happier fate when she falls in love with a Hungarian POW. The underlying theme is brotherhood, as the formerly warring Austrians and Hungarians at last find a common ground. Az Uj Foldesur was nearly twice as expensive as the average Hungarian film -- but at $40,000, its budget was a drop in the bucket compared to a typical Hollywood production.

How did a beautiful American divorcee get into the bed of her best friend's fiancé right after returning to Budapest?

When his new wife from a peasant background is not accepted by his colleagues, a University Professor resigns his post and returns home to his rural village. After receiving popular support, he is returned to his position by the Minister of Education.