Once Upon a Time

Budapest, 1948. Gyula Molnár, interpreter to the Supervisory Committee of the Allied Powers, is carried away from a party by plain-cloth police investigators. Recsk, 1950. Molnár, having attempted an escape and with a wound made by a bullet in his neck - is doggedly trying to get into the brigade of brick-layers, as escape is easiest from there.

Anna, the divorced pretty young woman works as a taxi driver to support her daughter. One day he meets Andrej, the Ukrainian ballet dancer who wants to get to Paris through Hungary and make a career, but currently he works as an unskilled worker at a fuel station. Anna becomes fond of Andrej and houses him.

Irma arrives at her 18th birthday in a reform school.