Vreme zla

The year is 1934. Bogdan Dragović is released from prison. He is greeted by a festive lunch at the house of his father-in-law Vukasin Katic. His wife Milena is looking forward to re-establishing family relations, after five years in prison due to her communist orientation. Bogdan's friend from the First World War and agent of the Comintern, Petar Bajevic, comes to the festive lunch and tells Bogdan that he has to go to Paris on a party assignment. Five years later, Milena is in an emotional relationship with Peter, Bogdan returns to Belgrade from political emigration at the dawn of World War II, and Vladimir, Milena's and Bogdan's son, together with his girlfriend Zora and friends from college, including Bora's son Miško goes to communist student protests against the government. Vladimir is under arrest. Milena asks for help from Bora Pub, assistant minister and old friend.

Bogdan is escorted from the train to the Glavnjača prison, where he is interrogated by Svetozar Vujković, an inspector who investigated him several years earlier. Vujković, pressed by an order from the ministry, that is. on Bora's initiative, he must not resort to torturing Bogdan, but he intends to confront him with his son Vladimir, who despised his father because of Bogdan's disagreement with Stalin's principles. Humiliated and broken after Vladimir's rejection by the police, Bogdan went to Valjevo to work in his father's wax workshop. Peter manages to get up after the attack and goes to Nezir's helper. Disappointed with Milena's absence, he decides to return to Belgrade. Bogdan comes to Valjevo, his sister and son-in-law who live in the family house reject him, as does Mirko Čekić, an old friend from the KP. Vladimir is being released from prison, but no one believes him that he was not released without intervention.

Milena refused to communicate with Peter, which is why he got drunk and complained to his friend, Colonel Đurić. In flashbacks, Bogdan remembers his stay in Moscow - the interrogation before the commission of the Comintern, which included his former friend Đura Višnjić. In a series of flashbacks, we learn that he betrayed his friends under pressure. Vladimir leaves Zora. Bogdan decides to write his opinion on the situation in the Soviet Union under Stalin. Ivan comes to Valjevo and refuses to help him publish the manuscript, but he is helped by Bora Pub, which prints it. She secretly meets with the German engineer Franz Roeder at the Spanish professor's. He hides from Bora and Dušanka that he is not learning Spanish, but German. Bogdan, rejected by his sister, son-in-law and party, goes to his uncle Milun's in the village of Slavkovica near Valjevo

Milena and Petar are returning from Tara to Belgrade. After breaking up with Zora, Vladimir changes the women he finds on the street. He doubts whether to go to Bogdan in Valjevo, but there is always something stopping him. Petar realizes that his connection to carrying out the task in Bulgaria has been broken. He tries to hire Ivan to do that task. Realizing that he is being followed by German agents, he comes to Rachel's cod. Vladimir visits Milena and Vukasin, who gives him money. Ivan is arguing with Vera over her affair with the doctor who is treating her mother. Remembering the affair with the young Frenchwoman Catherine in Paris, he decided to accept Peter's offer. Peter received an order from Moscow to liquidate Bogdan. Milena notices that something is happening to him. He tries to prolong the murder, but he is under pressure. He hires his agent to find someone who would be suitable for Bogdan's liquidation. Miško comes to the meeting.

Thanks to Peter's order, the KP youths are lifting the boycott from Vladimir. Milena and Petar try to save their love affair in the log cabin on Tara, but return to Belgrade completely broken, after Petar keeps silent about her task of liquidating Bogdan. Miško enters into a relationship with Savko. Zora tells Vladimir to lift the boycott, but he refuses to return only at Miško's urging. Prince Pavle invites Vukasin to talk about the political situation, the ultimatum of Germany and the pressures of Britain and France. Police arrest communists, including Miško Savko. He's getting sick. After he finds out that she snitched on her friends in the police, Miško leaves Savka. Milun and Bogdan find out about the pact between Prince Pavle and Germany from the newspapers.

As a professor at the Faculty of Law, Slobodan Jovanović is being asked to declare himself regarding the signing of the pact with Germany. Bogdan's condition after the injury is critical. In a daze, he remembers when he was expelled from the Communist Party during his stay in Paris and when he was saved by the Frenchwoman Monique Dibosk, with whom he got into an affair. Bora is angry with Miško because he thinks that KP is guilty of assassinating Bogdan. General Simovic calls on Slobodan Jovanovic to be a minister in the government after the overthrow of the Governorate. Vukasin and Ivan tell Vladimir about the attack on Bogdan. Demonstrations begin in Belgrade on March 27. Vukasin, Milena, Ivan and Petar are attending the general enthusiasm for the overthrow of Prince Pavle.

Najdan Tošić comes to Katic to reconcile with Katarina and to take her, Vera and the children to his villa in Dedinje after he found out through his connections that the Germans would attack Belgrade. Ivan refused to go and parted ways with Vera. Miško informs Vladimir about the signing of the agreement between Yugoslavia and the USSR. Vladimir tries to print a banner for the new protest they are preparing, but he fails. On the way to the meeting place, he meets Zora. They are interrupted by the beginning of the bombing in which Zora is hit. Milena is getting ready to go to Valjevo, when the sirens interrupt her. Vukasin is bombed in bed. They all run to the basement together. They carry out two bombings in the basement, and then Milena goes to look for Vladimir in the city. After the attack, Ivan goes to save the wounded. Milena wanders around the city. Vukasin is visited in the house by the disguised Slobodan Jovanovic, who invites him to go inland with him and the government.

Milena is hesitant whether to go to Valjevo, but she is still leaving. She gathers strength to meet Bogdan, but he pushes her away. The people are robbing the hospital where Bogdan is lying. Milena is trying to save the hospital stuff from the mob. German troops enter Belgrade. Everyone pulls their eyelids and goes to the shelter. Dušanka is arguing with Nadja, who is the only one who cannot hide her enthusiasm for the arrival of the Germans. Ivan writes again, now about the occupation. Mrs. Ruper's maid comes to Luković and calls Nadja, which is the only thing Dušanka notices about the housemates. Nadja responds to the call and starts an affair with the now German officer, Franz Roeder. Petar visits Ivan, Ivan tells him that Milena doesn't want to see him anymore. Milun drives Bogdan to Slavkovica to recover. In the flashbacks we see Milena and Bogdan in a hotel in Vienna, his rejection and the scene in which Milena tells little Vladimir that she loves him.

In the flashback, we follow Bogdanov and Monica's last conversation and his return to Yugoslavia. Nadja continues her romance with Franco, even though they gossip about her in the neighborhood. She confides in Milena, who advises her to leave Franz, to which she refuses to obey. Peter is hiding under Avala in the house with Rachel. The Germans are attacking Russia. Milun tells Bogdan that he is slowly recovering. Dušanka advises Milena and Ivan to go to Prerovo and they listen to her and go to their cousin Adam. For the first time, Nadja does not respond to Franco's call and is absent from their meeting. Taking advantage of the fact that Nadja is beginning to feel guilty about her relationship with a German, Petar uses it and recruits her for a job - to convey messages while Mrs. Ruper is with Franz. Bogdan remembers Milena's visit. He decides to go from Slavkovica to Belgrade disguised in a peasant suit.

Vladimir comes to Vukasin, who was left alone in his house in Belgrade, and tells him to go to the partisan detachment in the woods to fight. Running after him, Vukasin stumbles and falls in front of the house. Dragisa Vasic is humiliated by two partisan guys, to which he revolted and goes to the Chetnik detachment. Milena reads about the communist shootings in Prerov and decides to go to Belgrade. At the entrance to the train, he meets a woman who predicts an accident. The Germans board the train, but Milena escapes. In Belgrade, he comes to Bora and Dušanka. She stays alone with Nadja, where Nadja admits that she works for Petra. Milena comes to Vukasin and he wants them to have dinner as if nothing had happened. Milena and Vukasin are divorcing. Milena on her way back by train to Valjevo meets Vladimir Delic's friend Mladen Delic. Frightened by the Germans, he begs her to help him - to pass on the message he carries.

Dragisa Vasic wanders around Belgrade and comes to Vukasin. They are both aware that they will see each other for the last time, they chat about their dead friends at lunch, and after lunch they part forever. Bora confides in Bogdan that Nedic invited him to the occupation government, and Bogdan strongly condemns him. Petar notices that Nadja is late for the scheduled meeting for the first time. In the city, they meet Bogdan and together they go to Avala, where Peter's shelter is. He admits to Bogdan that his men shot at him. The Germans discover Peter's shelter, break into the house and arrest Peter and Bogdan, and kill Rachel. Bora Pub is arguing with Dušanka over Nadežda's behavior because he heard rumors that she is in a relationship with a German and stories that she is a German whore. He searches Nadezhda's room and finds a Serbian-German dictionary.

Bora Pub comes to Milan Nedić, who tells him that he remembered him for his courage in World War I. Bora, however, tells him that he is not ready to accept his invitation to the government. Bora returns home where he finds the Germans searching and Dušanka who tells him that Nadja has been arrested. The Gestapo continues to investigate Bogdan, he again refuses to admit who Stojan Jaksic (Petar) is. They bring him to the cell with the communists, and then they interrogate him again. Petra is brought to the office with a map of the Soviet Union and asked to reveal their military intentions. The investigator tells him all the details that he managed to find out about Peter. Peter refuses to cooperate with them and they start torturing him; first physically, and then bringing witnesses. The last one is Nadja, who is also being tortured in front of him. Nadja complains that she could not endure their torture

Dušanka begs Bora to call Nedić again to ask for help to release Nadja. Bora comes to the special police to inquire about her but finds out nothing. They find her in a blanket in a woman's cell in prison. Prisoners are divided into those who condemn her and those who justify her. All of them are later taken to be shot. Bora goes to Nedić and begs him for help. Nedić is told on the phone that Nadja was shot and he informs Bori. Bogdan is coming to interrogate Vujković. Vujković tells him that Nadja was shot and that Milena cheated on him with Petra. Born wanders madly, encounters German soldiers, disobeys their order to stop and kills him. Bogdan is told that he will be transferred to Peter's and the two of them face each other in prison. Peter begs him to talk, but Bogdan refuses. Peter asks to be crucified, and Bogdan is released from the Gestapo.

Cana's maid comes to Milena in Prerovo, tells her that Vukasin was arrested and Bora and Nadja were killed. Milena goes to Belgrade with Dušanka, but he doesn't manage to comfort her at all, so she returns to Prerovo. Dear Germans bring a letter that Peter was killed. Ivan asks the partisans in the vicinity of Prerov to accept him into their detachment, Milena writes a letter with the reasons for his departure. Ivan goes to the detachment, where Jaki tells him that Bogdan was released from the Gestapo, and that Ivan will not be admitted to the detachment. Partisans led by Mirko Čekić arrest Bogdan and take him away from his uncle Milun. Bogdan water tied through the village. In the partisan detachment, he meets Jakim again, who tells him that Monique Dibosk is an agent of the French police.

Bogdan is tortured by partisans before being shot; he tries to kill himself but without success. They take him to be shot and he recognizes Miška. Vladimir is wounded, Miško takes him from the car with the wounded and carries him to the village and tells him that Bogdan was killed. She leaves him in the village, where the nurse begins to take care of him. For the first time in his life, he introduces himself as Katic. In flashbacks, we hear Bogdan's farewell letter to Vladimir (during Vladimir's wounding). The mouse needs to carry loads of silver. With great losses in humanity, he manages to break through to the company. Vladimir is lying in a hospital where there is a general panic due to the approach of the Germans. All the wounded refuse to help with the retreat.