In the summer of 1959 Béla Kreuzer - a loader and gambler - is handcuffed and arrested. He is placed in detention and at first he thinks this is because his dubious activities on the racecourse but it soon turns out that the reason is his participation in the revolution in 1956. During the investigation old friends turn their backs on him as does his girlfriend. The only person he can trust is his cellmate. The ruthless prosecutor would rather have him hanged, but the detective, who is more of a Svejk-ish character, just wants the case off his hands. The prosecutor asks for capital punishment, but the judge opts for a sentence of 15 years in jail, which Béla Kreuzer serves to the last day. When he comes out is 1974 and finds the world is no longer the same.