After a young soldier sides with a troupe of travelling actors in a fist fight that erupted while they are performing a play, he is forced to flee and the troupe decides to take him in.
After a long time, Ákos visits his sick father, Ágoston, who is being cared for by Ilona, an elderly carer. Father and son have a chance to connect after Ilona's unexpected illness leaves them alone.
The film takes place in Budapest in the 1920s. The teenage Rózsa Béla, the son of a washing-woman and a salesman born out of wedlock, gets employment as callboy in a luxurious hotel.