Forced by extreme poverty to leave Greece and create a better future for himself in far-off Australia, the grizzled mountaineer, Antonis Niakas, heads to the bustling port of Piraeus. Before leaving his birthplace, probably, forever, the weary man pays a visit to his dear friend, Fotis Lianakas, who is a blacksmith, only to come face-to-face with the unforeseen complications of love, and bitter rivalry. After this pivotal event, Antonis has a chance encounter with the ferociously beautiful shepherdess, Nanota, whose wild sexual awakening triggers desire and violence. Then, as Antonis makes his way to the port-city, yet another encounter with an estranged young couple on the brink of separation becomes a painful reminder that, when love ends, life is ugly and unbearable. Can Antonis change his mind before the ship sails?