阿尔巴尼亚向来被视为东欧诸国中的第三世界，七十年代在共党领导之下，群众与党领导仍沉迷标语口号的玩意。教师安德来到荒山穷村的职责，似乎无关教人识字，而是教育学童如何「砌」革命标语：不错，是用石头砌！好让人民天天路过见到，让党领导出巡时开心。「革命精神士气高昂」与「美帝是纸老虎」之间，分别只是哪一句较短砌起来省水省力。不久安德又跟法语女教师闹出恋闻，但未问过党领导只意味著大祸临头。荒谬中带严肃，认真思考就只觉无奈，满有昆德拉式的幽默讽刺，曾活过那个无知的火红年代的人，怎不会心微笑。

Andre starts as a teacher in a remote mountain village in Albania. His first task is to choose one of two communist slogans. He picks the shorter one, which is appreciated by his class, because they have to build the slogan on the hillside using whitewashed rocks. However, this means that the longer slogan goes to Diana, the French teacher to whom Andre is attracted. Andre gets on the wrong side of the communist party boss of the village, when he stands up for an unjustly accused goat herdsman, whom he had befriended. The boss is determined to take his revenge on Andre.