Viorel is born into a poor family in Romania, where his drunken father abuses his mother and beats the children. The parents separate, and Viorel begins to run with bad boys as a teenager, drinking, stealing and lying. He meets Mihaela, who refuses to date him. After a drunken fight with his father, he runs away to work on farms, but returns home after a few months. Mihaela marries him, but his drinking ruins their marriage. During a big fight, Viorel throws himself off a fourth floor balcony, but his trousers snag on the railing. He reads the Bible and gives his life to Christ. Six years later his wife is saved.