Sorin works as a guide for English tourists on the Romanian Black Sea coast. Once he meets a beautiful girl, Mary. They fall in love, but they cannot marry because Mary feels in Romania people live like birds in a cage and she would not like to become one of them. Sorin does not hope that he would be allowed to marry the girl and go to England. They part, but decide to keep in touch and see if the situation in Romania improves.

Sorin has to go to a school for officers in the Reserve and there he finds out he may not correspond with Mary unless he would submit their correspondence to be censured.

In the army, Sorin has a mishap and is pensioned off for life. After six years, Sorin and Mary meet again. It appears they have a son together. Would they ever get the chance to fulfil their dream?