»Some years ago, while filming at Bucharest’s main railway station, I needed to find a child to appear in a certain shot. … I found a young boy (Ionel, aged nine) who had run away from his hometown of Petrila, in the Jiu Valley. He was the son of a mineworker and played his role with great tenacity. I followed in his footsteps for a few years, in all the places where life took him: at an orphanage; at home in the Jiu Valley; at a centre for disabled children; and in hospital while being treated for tuberculosis. Today, Ionel is eighteen and lives in Italy. Through his eyes, I was able to discover the life of a lonely child in the kinds of places and circumstances he has been through.«
– Alexandra Gulea

Eleven-year-old Matei lives with his grandfather in a coal-mining region of Romania. His parents having left to work in Italy, a very close relationship forms between grandfather and child. After an incident, Matei is unfairly kicked out of school and his grandfather reacts violently. He flees from home and reaches Isidor, a shepherd, who sends him back. Instead, Matei goes to Bucharest where he discovers the Museum of Natural Science. Fascinated by the exhibition, he realises that he would prefer a career in science to a life as shepherd and returns home – and back to school. Shortly after his arrival, however, his grandfather dies and Matei is placed in a children’s home. When his mother and his younger brother come back to take him to Italy he decides to stay and follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.