Ion Cosma

The out-of-time ambiance of Sulina/Europolis between wars is shaken up by the arrival of a former local from America.

A university lectop finds himself embroiled in a nasty blackmail case. Powerful businessman Busoni is preparing a stab at the grain market. This Protar scam should enrich him, but an article by a university professor changes his plans.

Over at the fictional DRGBP institution, events take a settling turn after a mutinied prize festivity.

Geared more for the home crowd with a good knowledge of their own history, this Romanian political comedy takes place at the turn of the 20th century, when two opposing factions are going at each other tooth and nail to win an election. One candidate is a staunch if not deluded conservative and the other is a radical liberal. Anticipating modern election campaigns by a good half a century, the two candidates decide that the best way to win is to sling as much mud as possible. Lacking the Internet and fifteen-second TV spots, they do the best they can -- they send each other virulent telegrams denouncing each other's personal failings.

Exiled from her country since her husband's murder ten years earlier, Judith lives in Marseille with her three children. After having refused to see her family for years, Judith, in spite of her fears and secrets, allows herself to be influenced by her children's wishes and accepts an invitation to their cousin's wedding. They set off to spend a summer in the old country, discovering their roots and their past. But Judith's return revives old hatreds between rival clans. The spiral of violence is inexorably set in motion, blood will tell...

In his struggle to innovate in an industrial plant, Professor Oltenu discovers, through laboratory research, a new technique that could be very useful in turning iron ore into better steel and products made from it. His experiments don't always yield the best results, especially when he is "helped" in his endeavors by a saboteur. The professor's wife and one of his employees help expose the saboteur and convince the professor to continue his work. Eventually the saboteurs are caught and severely punished, and the professor's research is patented and turned into successful manufacturing nanotechnology.