"Elderly politician Lem Nikodinoski (Saso Kekenovski) flashes back on his childhood from his deathbed, remembering his experiences as a 12-year-old orphan subjected to inhuman brutalities in the name of party training. Lonely and scared, Lem admires Isak (Maja Stankovska), the strange boy who arrived at the orphanage soon after he did, who wields odd power over everyone he encounters. Eventually Lem earns Isak's hard-won friendship, and the two become the sole holdouts of individuality and rebellion, opposing the party's enforced subjection to dogma, and the sadistic methods it employs. They become blood brothers in an environment where individual relationships are considered subversive, which causes them to suffer greatly for their ideals and each other. Ultimately the party's corruption finds its mirror in a betrayal that disrupts the foundation of the boys' relationship, and leaves Lem with a burden he will carry for the rest of his life.