Thanasis Vengos

The movie is about dictatorships in Greece – first, the Metaxas regime (1936-1940), and then the Colonels’ Junta (1967-74). In Part One, the Metaxas regime is depicted as a circus, where Thanasis (Thanasis Vengos) is a clown trying to conceal a young colleague’s subversive action. In Part Two, we see Thanasis suffer because of his honesty and kindness, in a country where the system’s irrationality is clearly evident.

Thanasis works in the café he inherited from his father and hopes that his children will manage to complete their studies. This desire is based on his own dream of becoming a judge, which never happened due to his father's objections.

A masseur whose son is a student in Germany learns that he has become a member of the Neo-Nazi party.

Thanasis Kourtis came from the countryside to Athens to find his friend, the well-known impresario Giorgos Oikonomidis. Oikonomidis cannot find him a job, but suggests that he open an agency to seek out new talent. Thanasis follows his advice, and one of his first clients is Kostas, the son of industrialist Lyridis, who wants to become an actor. Eleni, who wants to help him and win him over, becomes Thanasis' secretary.