Lem Nikodinoski (Meto Jovanovski), an elderly Macedonian politician, is felled by a heart attack and taken to the hospital. While in a haze, his mind carries him back to the time when he was twelve years old and was picked up by Communist soldiers. They send him to a children's orphanage where the emphasis is upon an ideological reprogramming of these enemies of the Revolution, many of whom still cling to their Orthodox Christian religion. Headmaster Komrade Ariton (Mitko Apostolovski) is a rigorous disciplinarian determined to prove himself as a loyal and obedient servant of the state. Deputy Komrade Olivera (Verica Nedeska) adores Stalin and is making a bust of him. Her red shorts are considered to be holy by the authorities since they were awarded by the Gymnastics Committee. When they mysteriously disappear, all hell breaks loose in the orphanage and the boys and girls must pay the price.
Lem (Saso Kekenovski) is a loner in this harsh place until the arrival of Isak Keyten (Maja Stankovska), a self-possessed thirteen-year-old boy who is rumored to have been spawned by the Devil. The Headmaster and everyone else tread softly in his presence. Lem tries to get his attention by taking him to the room of Verna (Nikolina Kujaca), the Headmaster's wife who secretly is a practicing Christian. But Isak is interested in Lenche (Marina Cakalova), a pretty girl who is mesmerized by his intensity. Eventually, Lem and Isak join together as blood brothers in a campaign of resistance against the authoritarianism of the orphanage. In a clever act of self-protection, Lem becomes a speech giver and wins the praise of the Headmaster who is fooled by his phony political rhetoric.
Ivo Trajkov directs this interesting glimpse into little known developments in the Eastern European past based on a novel by Zhivko Chingo. The orphanage youth are trained to serve Stalin and expected to recant any remnants of their Christian faith. This sober film charts their struggle to retain their religion in a repressive milieu. Lem's most cherished possession is his grandmother's Slavic cross which plays a role in his formative years.
