The Soviet army is approaching the Bulgarian border. Many government ministers and army officers prepare to flee the country. The partisans take over the key administrative buildings. At the War Ministry, the commander of the armored brigade Major Essev hesitates between his sense of honor as an officer and his patriotic duty. He takes the side of the partisans.

Rado, an orphan from a poor Sofia neighborhood, has been in and out of school for troubled youth for years. Although he is approaching adulthood, he is yet to finish 8th grade. He cannot reconcile his pride and sense of justice with the kind of education provided by people who are deprived of sensibility and human warmth. Rado asserts his right to freedom by frequently running away. During one of his escapes he meets the love of his life, Albena. She is a good student, and comes from a well-educated, sophisticated family. This new and unexpected connection intensifies Rado's desire for freedom and independence, and leads them both into uncharted territory.