Deep in the Transylvanian Alps, the Archangels gold mine is the stage for an epic battle of characters. The arrogant owner is struggling with perceptions of ghosts in the mind of the miners. A maverick free-lance miner is helping him to find the source of terrifying noises that frightened his workers.

In the 1950s, a party activist travels to rural Transylvania to collec collectivize village farms. A wealthy householder resists attempts to make him give up his wealth, refusing to be brought down to the level of those who have never worked. The concept of collectivization is summed up by an indignant villager who, forced to work the land he no longer owns, bombards the party activist who claims that the land is still his: "You cut off my p..., put it in my hand and said, 'take it, it's still yours'.