Two rival boys' gangs, "the boys of Via Pal" and "the red shirts, " clash in Budapest in 1904, battling for control of the Via Pal area. The plot differs from the novel, portraying an unlikely friendship between marginal characters.

The movie takes place in Budapest in 1904. Two boys gangs are opposed. On the one hand "the boys of Via Pal," the other the "red shirts". The battlefield is precisely the area around the Via Pal. The plot has several differences compared to that of the novel: it is said, for example, of a friendship between the grandmother of Csele and Jano Guardian, both absolutely marginal characters (the grandmother even in the novel is only mentioned).