Boyan Papasov
Ponko is one of the newly rich who made their fortune gambling as an elite player in a small town. In order to avoid dealing with other competitive players of the same kind, he settled a deal for himself to do time at a low security detention facility. He can still be in charge of his deal from prison with the help of his wife Rada. Yet, he bets and loses Rada to another prisoner at a game, which gives that man the right to spend a night with her, as well as to join the elite of players he is part of. Rada has feelings for Ponko's cousin but when she brings some money she has won at a game to him, she learns that he made a deal with Ponko to take care of her while he is in prison. She tries to get out of the vicious circle of crime but fails to do so. The corrupt world of blurred concepts of good and evil has engulfed them all and turned them into predators and victims of its poison.
A pretty woman, divorced mother of a child works as a secretary at a research institute. She is taking an external degree. It all looks quite normal. In fact, she experiences serious difficulties: she has a problem with her ex-husband, her child is going through difficult age, a sycophant at the institute is exerting pressure on her, and the jealous wife of her boss makes malicious reports against her. She is forced to fight for each breath and to violate even her own principles in order to survive.
A young actress in a country town is almost smashed under the burden of the wear and tear of life. She has problems with her parents, she is not happy with her love affairs, she faces hypocrisy and cynicism in the society all the way. She copes with all the hardships with dignity, she is devoted to her work, she manages to preserve her mentality. But the most difficult thing is in store: she has to experience the true faith in what she is doing - the faith of the fire-dancers, who walk barefooted on glowing embers.
Rado, an orphan from a poor Sofia neighborhood, has been in and out of school for troubled youth for years. Although he is approaching adulthood, he is yet to finish 8th grade. He cannot reconcile his pride and sense of justice with the kind of education provided by people who are deprived of sensibility and human warmth. Rado asserts his right to freedom by frequently running away. During one of his escapes he meets the love of his life, Albena. She is a good student, and comes from a well-educated, sophisticated family. This new and unexpected connection intensifies Rado's desire for freedom and independence, and leads them both into uncharted territory.
A road-building team is forced to stay idle for a couple of days since the asphalt has not been delivered.
