After his release from prison, Stathis visits a private investigator, Othonas, whom he had assigned many years ago to find his mother, who has been missing from the time of the German Occupation. When he meets Othonas, however, they quarrel because the detective hadn't worked seriously enough on the case. Afterwards, Stathis takes control of his old gang again and sets up a few new scams, selling dreams and hopes to simple people. He soon realizes that he has lost his old love, Vana, who, while he was in prison, had become involved with his second-in- command, Michalis. Nevertheless, his bitterness is softened by Stella, Vana's sister, who works at the Red Cross. He falls for her, and she responds in kind. In the end, he also manages to find his mother, by now an old and debauched nightclub singer, and he feels even happier. He decides to go straight and marry Stella, but one night his drunken "mother" reveals to him that she is not who he thinks she is, and it was Michalis who asked her to play this role. Stathis finds Michalis at the taverna, asks him to explain himself, and a fight quickly ensues. Stathis stabs him right in front of Vana and the other members of the gang. A savage ending - and a refutation of dreams.