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In this Rumanian film, Ipu (Amza Peles), the retarded town outcast, befriends a young boy (Christian Sofron) during World War II. They play little war games in the deserted ruin of a nearby town. When an occupying German soldier is found dead, the local German commander threatens to kill everyone in the village if the guilty party is not brought forward the next day. At a lavish dinner put on just for Ipu, the boy's family tries to get Ipu to play the martyr. Ipu agrees to do this, provided the townspeople agree to take care of his estranged wife and his poor relatives. The fortunes of war cause the Germans to leave before anything can be done, and the contract with brave Ipu is forgotten by the villagers, but not by Ipu and the boy.