Shortly before the end of the Greek Civil War, in 1948, the border villages are evacuated to facilitate the movements of the Hellenic Army. Margaritis, a villager in his forties, is forced to leave his home and travel to Thessaloniki with his two children. He takes up residence in the Karavan Sarai (a building requisitioned for this purpose) and tries in vain to remain unaffected by the unspeakable events unfolding around him.