A fishing boat comes back to the port. Fishermen are crestfallen, as they have caught only one very little fish. To save face, they fib they have 300 kilo of mackerel on board the boat. In their will to report a success, the port administration decides to pad out the weight. So, the very little fish is grossly exaggerated into tons of belted bonito, then into dolphin and ultimately, into a whale. Which results in celebrations, honors and awards... There, naturally, is no any whale. Instead of brilliant display of an unprecedented success, the white collars make a brilliant display of their unparalleled foolishness.
The first love between two very different characters is the prism through which we are shown the point of view of the film-makers who denounce war and plead for simple human happiness.
Stationed in a secluded Bulgarian village in 1943, Walter - a German Wehrmacht sergeant and artist - lives in almost idyllic distance from the war. Then a transit camp is set up for Jews arriving from Greece. When Ruth, one of the internees, asks Walter to help a pregnant woman, the two form an unlikely bond.
Strahil is a leader of a rebel band. The Turkish governor abducts beautiful girl Ivana for his harem. The outlaws hold the governor's child to ransom. The governor promises to Strahil neither to attack the peasants, nor to persecute them if he settles down to a peaceful life. Together with Ivana Strahil goes back to his father house... One day a group of people, driven by Turkish soldiers on their way to do forced labor, passes by Strahil house. Women and children wail. Strahil rushes at a soldier and kills him. There is an exchange of fire: Ivana is helping him. A large number of mounted troops surround Strahil's house. His band hurries to the village. Ivana hides in the cellar and fires. She hits the Turkish governor. The rebels rescue Ivana. The governor rises in a last effort and fires at Ivana. Dying Ivana manages to tell Strahil that she wants him to bury her in their favorite glade and return to the band. Strahil raises his hand to take an oath over Ivana's dead body.
This is a typical story from the 'cold war' era. A group of kids play on a quiet street in Sofia. From a nearby window falls a key. The helpful youngsters quickly return it to the owner, but in the haste switch the keys. The unintentional error disentangles a whole spy story. The young detectives doubt the good intentions of the man they tried to help. It turns out that the key is from a secret apartment where saboteurs are hiding. The secret network is exposed to the authorities and the kids feel like heroes.
