804, Thuringia. An orphan boy, called Bengel, lives in a monastery and is teased by the nuns because of his ugliness. He nurses a black rider, who is shunned by everyone and is said to have the plague, back to health. The rider tells him about the missing Bogumil, son of the Slavic king Slavomir, who was to marry Reglindis, the daughter of the Margrave of Thuringia, by order of Charlemagne. And he asks Bengel about his origins. Bengel now believes he is Bogumil. He goes to the castle and meets a beautiful girl who also thinks he is beautiful. It is Reglindis, she is blind. The girl senses the boy's inner beauty and is very fond of him. Her father, however, wants to kill him. Bengel narrowly escapes death twice, the Black Rider impressively proves his identity with Bogumil and finally there is a happy ending.

During the socialist regime in Bulgaria, the migration from villages to bigger towns brings a lot of problems and sadness to some of the party activists.

A bandit chief falls in love with a wealthy man's daughter.

The new supervisor Vasil arrives at the construction site of a dam. Vasil has problems with his men, who mistrust him and reluctantly submit to his perfectionism. He becomes involved with the refreshment bar attendant Lilyana. Vasil, who always wanted children, cannot abandon his childless wife and breaks with Lilyana. When four workers are buried in a tunnel landslide, Vasil makes his way to them and manages to drag them all out, except for Zlatan, a spiteful egocentric, whose legs are caught under a fallen prop. Zlatan begs Vasil to save him, even if it means cutting of his legs. To release the miner's legs Vasil cuts the prop, which is also supporting the roof of the tunnel. Zlatan is rescued. However, Vasil is killed. Since then, the workers say his steps can be heard bellow the dam wall.

Apostol, an architect on this side of forty, meets by chance Bella at a swimming pool on the night of her graduation party.