Archimedes, a refugee from Greece, arrives in the city of Brno in 1949 without speaking a word of Czech. As a convinced socialist, Archimedes believes in a just and free world, which he thinks he has finally found in Czechoslovakia.

Czechoslovakia, 1949: The convinced Greek socialist Archimedes settles in the city of Brno. He sees his new home as a place of longing for peace and justice. When he takes his nephew Aris to live with him, he meets the Greek woman Penelope. The two fall in love and marry shortly afterwards. With broken Czech and without a cent in their pockets, the small family tries to build a new life and find their way in everyday life - even if they have to imitate a cackling chicken in order to buy eggs. Their biggest supporters are their Czech neighbours, especially Karel, who soon becomes Archimedes' best friend. Karel gets "his Greek" a job through a few tricks, his wife provides the family with food and teaches Penelope Czech. When Archimedes dreams that his mother is dying and he sees his expectations of the highly praised socialist regime disappointed, nothing keeps him in Czechoslovakia. But the longed-for return home is not so easy for Archimedes and his family. Despite Karel's most creative support, one attempt after another fails. Will Archimedes still succeed in getting news from home?