One class of school children from a small village make the trip to Zagreb. One of the boys gets sick and the class is forced to go home. During their journey the train gets stuck in a snowstorm.
One day, Happiness and Sorrow come to town. Happiness leaves her magical cloak in the local inn, saying that it fulfills every wish to those who wear it. However, Sorrow knows that Happiness doesn't come alone, but brings worries with herself, too. The magical cloak changes its owner and fulfills the most unusual wishes of timid professor of violin, old night guard, naive student and blonde girl. When all their wishes are fulfilled, they find out that they did not achieve happiness.
With a single, basic plot theme, this well-wrought drama of ultimate tragedy engages the viewer and gives pause for reflection. The tale focuses on the marriage of a man who is dominated and controlled by his own egoistic needs and illusions.
Italian director Giueseppe DeSantis was the creative force behind this Yugoslavian "slice of life" drama. The title translates as The Year-Long Road; accordingly, the plot concerns a joint, voluntary effort between Italy and Yugoslavia to construct a highway along the countries' Naturally, this animosity wreaks havoc on the various Romeo-Juliet romances in the region. All is resolved when oil is discovered on one of the islands. An American oil company is finally able to establish détente between the warring factions, smoothing the path for the long-delayed marriages of three young couples.
Due to negligence that caused the death of a family cow, an extremely poor but handsome young man Iva must obey his father's demands to marry an unattractive and limping daughter of wealthy villagers.
Engineer and leftist illegal Neven Novak runs away from a train in which Ustashas transport their prisoners to the prison camp Jasenovac. He returns to Zagreb and tries to save his son Zoran from an orphanage. During his stay in the orphanage, Zoran was indoctrinated with fascist ideology. When he realizes that his father is an enemy of the regime, he refuses to escape with Zoran to the Partisans' territory. Novak faces his son's antagonism and the police that chase after them.
Celebrating the end of World War II and liberation of their city, a group of students is set on holding a cultural evening. They invite Ema, a reclusive piano teacher from the same building, to play for them. Ema declines, but starts reminscing back on her own life and the historical events that have seemingly overshadowed it.
