After the Hungarian army was annihilated by the Mongols at the battle of Mohi, only the castle of Esztergom stood in the Mongolians' way of invading the rest of Europe. Batu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, reaches the walls of Esztergom with his invincible troops. The castle's defenders, led by Eusebius, the canon of Esztergom, and a Spanish mercenary, Captain Simon, are preparing for the final battle. The sudden arrival of Cardinal Cesareani, the Papal Legate, coinciding with the Mongol Lunar New Year celebrations and the mystical practices of Eusebius, combine to offer the defenders a small glimmer of hope.

Somewhere in a small village in Hungary three public workers dig the same ditch year after year for aid, while they talk about the same day after day. One of them, Béla learns that the TV news showed a former classmate of them, Frike Herner, whose father was the village's policeman when they were children. Béla recalls how at that time a childish conflict between the two of them grew to a great extent. As he remembers more and more details, begins to realize that human destinies repeat themselves from generation to generation and are just as constant as the always-the-same ditch in front of them. Comical and sometimes painfully thought-provoking story through present and past try to find the answers to questions ranging from the individual to the entire world: are we in God's hand, or is God inside us, and can we shape our own destiny? The film is based on the play of the popular Hungarian writer, János Háy.