Film, based on a story by Latvian novelist Egons Līvs, focuses on the resolve of a human being and the whole Lithuanian nation in the face of cataclysmic events to find the time and room for simple emotions. The film depicts a chaotic period through the relationship of the two brothers, one dedicated to his family and conscience; the other dedicated to a political ideal. These divided brothers can be read as a representation of a country torn in two, of a history rudely divided. Lithuania has a history of occupation and the struggle to survive is as much personal as it is cultural.