The film is set in Veles during the turbulent years following the Republic of Macedonia's independence. It follows the harrowing journey of Marko Trifunovski, portrayed by Marko Kovacevic, a bright yet tormented 13-year-old schoolboy whose life of hardship tragically leads him down a path of criminality. Two mentors emerge offering him hope for a better future, only to ultimately fail him, resulting in his devastating transformation. The profound nature of his fleeting hopes is underscored by the film’s epigraph, a thought-provoking aphorism from Friedrich Nietzsche's Human, All Too Human: > "Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man."
The narrative begins to unfold with an insightful glimpse into Marko's struggles. Residing in a dilapidated home adjacent to a bustling railway track, he experiences profound neglect from his family—his father Lazo (Vlado Jovanovski), a bingo addict embroiled in a workers' strike; his oppressed mother Angja (Elena Mosevska); and his sister Fanny (Slavica Manaskova), whose abusive and promiscuous behavior compounds Marko’s suffering. School is no sanctuary for him, as he faces relentless bullying at the hands of Levi (Martin Jovchevski), the son of the local Albanian police chief Blashko (Dejan Acimovic). Seeking solace from his incessant woes, Marko often retreats to a nearby train graveyard, passing the time by playing chess.
A sensitive soul, Marko demonstrates a remarkable talent for poetry; a fellow character whimsically dubs him “Koco Racin II.” At this juncture, a Bosnian teacher of Macedonian, Mustafa Nadarevic, becomes a guiding light for Marko, encouraging him to enter a French-sponsored poetry competition, the outcome of which could secure him a chance to represent Macedonia in Paris, the epitome of artistic aspiration. He also motivates Marko to present his poem at their school’s forthcoming Independence Day festivities, filling him with dreams of literary success and escape from his constrained life.
Yet, Marko's attempts are met with obscurity from his family and ridicule from his peers. Although his teacher displays kindness, he ultimately offers little substantial support, retreating when he witnesses Levi's gang cruelly assaulting Marko outside his home. Attempts to banish Levi from his classes are thwarted by Blashko’s interference. Complicating matters, Fanny’s affair with a Kosovo Force soldier becomes a new source of torment for Marko, fueling the malice of his racist bullies.
In a twist of fate, a scarred soldier known as Paris (Nikola Djuricko) begins to spend time in the train graveyard, where he plays chess with Marko. Interestingly, the missing pawn is replaced with a bullet, an ominous symbol reflecting the reality Marko faces. Paris assumes the role of Marko's new mentor, providing him with survival wisdom such as “Eat or be eaten.” He promises to facilitate Marko's departure from their troubled town in the future. Under Paris's dubious influence, Marko begins to engage in drinking, smoking, and stealing, participating in burglaries—including a significant heist at a local Orthodox church—to finance their escape.
Eventually, Marko finds himself in deep trouble when caught selling stolen perfumes, leading to police custody. Blashko blackmails him into becoming Levi's tutor, who in turn coerces Marko into joining his gang for a school break-in, threatening him with his father's weapon. Meanwhile, Marko’s teacher harshly critiques his poetry, leaving him devastated. In desperation, Marko implores Paris to teach him the art of shooting. Initially dismissive, Paris eventually concedes.
The climax reaches a breaking point when Levi's gang, accompanied by Marko, breaks into the school. They ruin the head office, igniting student records and leaving Marko trapped in a burning room. Marko is scarred by a broken bottle during his escape, and the night watchman recognizes him. Seeking refuge back at the train graveyard, he discovers that Paris has abandoned him, leaving behind the pawn bullet as a painful reminder of their bond.
Summoned by the principal to discuss the vandalism, Marko stands his ground, refusing to betray Levi and his gang. Consequently, he is labeled a delinquent and expelled from school, with no support from his teacher, who reports him for his substance usage. After the teacher replaces him with classmate Jasmina (Marija Sikalovska) for the Independence Day event, ghostwriting a patriotic poem for her, Marko confronts the brewing storm at school.
In an act of defiance, Marko confronts Levi's gang and takes Levi’s gun by force, loading it with Paris's bullet. Armed with newfound resolve, he faces his teacher during the Independence Day celebration, denouncing him for abandoning his hopes for Marko. In a shocking and tragic conclusion, he states, "There is no escape from the sewer," and fatally shoots his teacher from close range. As he stumbles away from the chaos, the camera lingers on the lifeless form of his teacher, culminating the film with the haunting strains of Erik Satie's Gnossienne No. 3.
