Bucharest may still be the Paris of the East, but it is now a sepia-toned metropolis, aching with nostalgia for its grand boulevards and proud architecture, for its cosmopolitan graces and humanity - all violated by a long reign of fear and repression. It is here that the story of Stefan, Brindusa and Nicu unfolds. Nicu is a middle-aged entrepreneur and uncontested lord of his domain, a large printer's shop. Stefan, a young German engineer has come to install a new offset machine in Nicu's shop. Brindusa, Nicu's translator, secretary and former mistress, falls in love with Stefan. The young German wants to marry Brindusa and take her back to Germany with him. It could be so simple if it weren't for Nicu, who simmers with an explosive mixture of rage and envy directed at his country, the West, and, above all, Stefan.