Rados is a young man who lives in the provinces of Yugoslavia and who has his heart set on becoming a great pianist making music for humanity, and nothing less than that. His companions at the Belgrade Academy of Music are not beset by the same economic deprivation as Rados, and they spend their time in effete pursuits, romantic liaisons, parties, and generally egocentric behavior. Rados’ simmering anger starts to heat up when he sees the enormous gap between the pretensions of the students and the nature of brilliantly composed music.