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Irony abounds in this Hungarian drama that chronicles the situation in the Balkans. The story begins in 1914 as Pal Utrius, an adolescent, is drafted into the military. Just before he leaves, he makes love to his sister. His letters to her provide the framework for his tumultuous inner thoughts. He can hardly bear the rough, rigorous military training. He gets out after an appendix operation. Unfortunately the medics used unsterilized instruments and he dies from infection. At the end of the film, the beginning of World War II is depicted.