The film follows four primary characters. Ábel is a high school student in
Buda preparing for his
matura. György, his father, is an architect with nationalist views from a formerly
ennobled family. Jakab, a more liberal history teacher at Ábel's school, is a workaholic. Erika is an ambitious young journalist
from Transylvania who works for the conservative daily
Magyar Napok (a fictionalized version of
Magyar Nemzet). Having fallen in love with his classmate Janka, Ábel is distracted from studying for his history
matura. At work, György tries to convince a younger colleague not to emigrate to
Denmark by recounting his family's struggles during the
communist era. Janka, meanwhile, confesses her love for Jakab, who rejects her advances; she reveals this to Ábel, crushing his spirits. Janka nonetheless excels during her oral examination, while Ábel freezes up and fails. As Ábel recounts his experience to a furious György, Ábel falsely suggests that Jakab failed him for wearing a
cockade. György, remembering a previous political argument with Jakab, believes his son. György recounts the incident to his doctor, and news of Ábel's fabricated plight spreads by word-of-mouth, reaching Erika by way of a neighbor. Erika interviews Ábel at a café and exaggerates the story's political dimension for professional gain. Her article goes viral, threatening the reputation of Jakab and the school. Jakab's nonchalant attitude in face of the accusations angers both his colleagues and his wife, who suggests his focus on his work has begun to harm their family life. Janka confronts Ábel on the
Tabán, berating him for lying about his
matura's circumstances and swearing to never speak to him again. The school district permits Ábel to retake his history
matura. Jakab tries to speak to Ábel at his family's apartment, only to wind up in a shouting match with György over his son's academic track record and their divergent political views. Erika is hired as a speechwriter by a government ministry; at her first day at work, she is subtly mocked for her Transylvanian heritage. Ábel's second
matura becomes a media sensation, but he walks out of the examination room without attempting to answer his prompt. Jakab and György, who are both present, share a shocked look. A few months later, Ábel and his friends, Janka among them, sneak into a villa's swimming pool in the middle of the night on the shores of
Lake Balaton. As the sun rises, the villa's owner discovers them, and they flee into the lake. ==Cast==