XVII century, Bulgaria is under Ottoman rule. Four men break into the house of the shepherd Karaivan, raping and killing his wife in full view of their child, Maria. To protect his daughter and to enact revenge, he raises Maria as a son, teaching her to fight and kill. But as Maria grows up, she longs for a different life.

1944. The inhabitants of the house are strange. On the first floor is the owner - the lawyer. He expects as a close man to the government to enter the big politics soon. On the second floor resides a pro-Nazi doctor. There is an illegal printing press at the attic. Every day brings new challenges to the illegal printers. The lawyer decides to travel for the country. This distorts the plans of the illegal printers because they must move too. They meet the sunrise with a smile. Every day is joy to them - the fact that they are alive and they can continue their work.

In a white ward in a clinic, a lifetime balance on the verge of death. Memories are herding together in the mind of seriously ill Aleksandrov, a scientist, who evaluates and reevaluates his own life: friendships, loves, career. Images of his youth are crowding in: of his beloved, of his children, of evenings spent with his friends, ups and downs. And no one is able to say if all this made any difference.