Matei recollects events of the year 1944 in order to prove the innocence of a friend.
Based on "Șoseaua Nordului" (Northern Highway) novel by Eugen Barbu.
Adapted from a folk legend, it tells the story of a bad-tempered nobleman and his chronically useless younger son - who dreams of being the mythical hero Harap Alb.
Tudor Vladimirescu fights against the Ottoman Turkish domination of Romania and the social agitation ,his story includes the war between Russia and Turkey from 18o6 to 1812,for which he was decorated by the Russians.
An engine driver is taken prisoner in 1944 and ends up in a camp behind enemy lines. He escapes together with a soviet prisoner and a professor and make their way back to Romania.