During the last thirty years, the life of the Hungarian peasantry underwent many changes: From the times of unemployment to the land distribution in 1945, and then, the organisation of the collective farms.

Embedded in the depiction of the historical events is the story of a friendship between two men, István Szeles and Fülöp Banó. The latter, once the cowherd of the village, became a leader of the underground movement and, after 1945, Party Secretary. He tries to convince István, who has become a land owner, of the necessity to support the collective farm movement, but only the events of 1956 make István realise that the era of small holdings is over. István's son, a university student, then draws conclusions for his own generation.