It is Bosnia in 1992. Luka, a Serbian engineer from Belgrade, has installed himself in a village in the middle of nowhere with his opera singer wife, Jadranka, and their son, Milos. Luka is preparing to build the railroad that will transform the region into a tourist′s paradise. Utterly engrossed in his work and blinded by natural optimism, Luka remains deaf to the increasingly persistent rumblings of war. When the conflict explodes, Luka′s life is turned inside out. His wife disappears on the arm of a musician while his son Milos is called to the front. Ever optimistic, he waits for his family to return but Jadranka doesn′t come back. Milos is taken prisoner and the Serbian army appoints Luka guardian of Sabaha, a Muslim hostage. Before long, Luka has fallen in love with Sabaha, but the young woman is destined to be handed over in exchange for a Serbian ca1 ptive: his son Milos.