AllMovie

Matei Olaru (Stefan Irodache) is a journalist at an independent (not state-supervised) newspaper who takes his work seriously. In the Rumania of 1939, this was, as it often is, a dangerous predisposition. For one thing, the fascist Iron Guard is vigilant in persecuting anyone suspected of "liberal" tendencies. When Matei rescues a girl from a beating by thugs, he is dismayed to discover that the thugs were members of the Iron Guard, and that the girl was a suspected communist. They warn him that his life will be forfeit unless he can find and return the girl to them. As he searches for the girl, he uncovers the true extent of fascist evil in his beloved city of Bucharest. His search puts him in a dangerous position, because the communist underground trusts him no better than the fascists, and he is caught between them.