Tortured by a tumultuous home life and school bullies, young Marko finds hope when his teacher encourages him to enter a poetry competition. When the teacher cowers before the same bullies and eventually dashed the boy's hopes, Marko takes another path to adulthood.
In a Stalinist indoctrination camp for orphans after World War II, young Lem fixates on a mysterious older boy, then lashes out when he sees him being affectionate with the female camp leader.