AllMovie

The sweep of history is shown through events as seen in a poor tobacco-growing village. Before World War II, the villagers are not allowed to sell or smoke their own crops. They are forced by the police and authorities to send their entire output to a government monopoly at outrageously low prices. In order to survive, they are forced to try to sell whatever they can hide from the police on the black market. When the war comes, the crop is sold to the Italian occupiers, once again failing to benefit the villagers. Afterwards, the new and more benign state once again resumes monopolistic practices, but at least one farmer cannot accept this.