Woman at the Helm

A father tries to deal with his troubled son who is involved in a hit-and-run accident.

In the vocational school the professionally excellent Dani János works on his own invention in his leisure time, but he does not like learning. However, even his own father learns in the evenings, he will become a teacher.

If there has ever been pure and undestroyable love, this is it. That is how Imre and Vera feel. The talented chemist loses his best friend for the girl's sake, then gives up his profession, only to be able to stay in the capital with Vera. But the young actress at the beginning of her career is neglected. Imre accepts an uninteresting, but well-paying position. They seem to be happy together.

Lint and his lover are sailing and making fun absent-mindedly at Lake Balaton when the anchor suddenly gets stuck in a bomb in the mud. Lint gets hurt while fussing about under the water. A strong storm breaks out when they reach the shore. In the local restaurant the man recalls his memories of war.

During the siege of Budapest, the nine-year-old Ambrus is taken to the country, to his grandparents. His everyday life is determined by nightmares, the tough country life, the anguish caused by the aircraft noise. Overhearing a conversation one night he learns that his parents were killed by a bomb.

During the freedom fight led by Rákóczi, Schwartzenau carries the wages of the Emperor's soldiers to Tokaj. A small group of freedom-fighters, led by Captain Árvay, attack the major's escort, then hide in the local inn. Árvay introduces himself to the entering Schartzenau as a Hungarian aristocrat, while Simon Pali rushes to get help. The major has a passion for games, they start throwing dice.

Panni, coming from a landless family of ten and Miska have loved each other for a long time. The pretty Panni, however, has another suitor as well: Komáromi, the big farmer. The two men fight from time to time, but then, during the time Miska is serving his military duty, Panni marries Komáromi to end the tremendous squalor of her family.

The poetic love story depicting everyday life from a micro-psychological aspect takes place in the 1910s. Sándor, editor of the local paper, serves as a foot soldier on Sundays, but spends weekdays playing billiard and courting women. One Sunday afternoon - in soldier's uniform - he meets Vilma, the beautiful maid, whose honesty and chastity turns the adventure to love.