AllMovie

Greece did not recover its independence from the Ottoman Empire until early in the 19th century. Shortly afterward, European wars resulted in Greece being saddled with a Hapsburg monarchy. This movie tells the story of two judges, Polyzoedes and Tertsetis, who were given an order by the king (Othon/Otto) to sign a death sentence for two Greek heroes, generals Koloktronis and Plapoutas, who were accused of treason. The judges realized that the order was given because they were the king's political rivals and not because of treason, and they refused to sign it. They were subsequently made to stand trial themselves for dereliction of duty. The limits of the monarch's power were demonstrated to him when the two judges were acquitted.