Juliska Pekáry grew up with nothing but hard work, an empty belly, and modest dreams. Raised in poverty in postwar Hungary, she clawed her way into higher education and now holds a respected nursing position in a distant village. She’s determined to build a life of stability, until she meets a farmer with a fire in his soul and a serenade always on his lips.

István Farkas is a kulák, branded by the communist regime as an enemy of the state for owning too much land and opposing collectivization. Under constant surveillance and treated like a criminal in his own country, István knows he should keep his head down, but can’t. It’s not in him. When he crosses paths with Juliska one summer afternoon, everything changes. (He sees her at a thermal pool sitting on the stairs, in a red and white polka dot bathing suit.) Her strength and warmth stir something in him he thought he’d buried: hope.

As political tensions erupt into revolution, István becomes a target for his outspoken defiance. Juliska risks everything to stand by him, even as Russian tanks roll into their village. With execution looming, they flee Hungary together across a landmine-riddled border into Austria; uncertain, but desperately hopeful, that their newfound love is strong enough to survive the cost of freedom.