A young boy (I. Spassov) gets his hand caught in a bridge beam on a hot summer day in this straightforward drama. As the water level rises in the river, people band together to try and save the boy before he drowns. He is comforted by his mother (G. Vachtov) and an army general (P. Slobokov), and the latter calls out the troops to save the lad from liquidation. This feature was the official Bulgarian entry at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival and is devoid of the usual 1960s propaganda associated with countries from the Eastern block of Europe.

The new supervisor Vasil arrives at the construction site of a dam. Vasil has problems with his men, who mistrust him and reluctantly submit to his perfectionism. He becomes involved with the refreshment bar attendant Lilyana. Vasil, who always wanted children, cannot abandon his childless wife and breaks with Lilyana. When four workers are buried in a tunnel landslide, Vasil makes his way to them and manages to drag them all out, except for Zlatan, a spiteful egocentric, whose legs are caught under a fallen prop. Zlatan begs Vasil to save him, even if it means cutting of his legs. To release the miner's legs Vasil cuts the prop, which is also supporting the roof of the tunnel. Zlatan is rescued. However, Vasil is killed. Since then, the workers say his steps can be heard bellow the dam wall.

Sick and tired of the daily grind, engineer Filip Gerakov encounters on the beach Maria, eccentric wife of a prosperous research associate. Maria leads a leisurely if somewhat dull existence. Deep down, she craves for normal, spontaneous relationships and emotions. Filip and Maria soon make friends. They find in each other what they themselves have lacked. Their friendship gradually grows in love. Sharing their dreams and making plans for the future, the lovers vow to be inseparable and to make a new life. One day Maria's husband arrives in his black limousine. Watched at a distance by Filip, Maria makes her choice: she leaves with her husband, opting for the good life she is used to.