Lost Leading Man

The film draws the portrait of a man we never come to see. Károly, the young film director, is getting prepared for his new film. While collecting his source-material, he meets Derengő, a man committed for imprisonment for murder, who stages a passion-play in the prison theatre with his fellow-inmates, only to escape during the show. The idealist Derengő, with a personal magnetism, a kind of a Saviour made for another world, makes a deep impression on everybody. Károly, too, finds himself deeper and deeper involved in trying to find Derengő, while even the police are out after the man. The young director meets Derengős relatives, friends, fellow-prisoners, and after a while even Derengős lover, Helén, accompanies him. It is revealed that the murder was committed by Helén, but Derengő owned to having committed the crime instead of the pregnant woman. Meanwhile Helén had a miscarriage, but did not dare to confess it to Derengő. Károly has a continuous sensation of being followed by Derengő, and eventually a message is received from the man. Yet Károlys arrival at the meeting is too late. The policemen who follow Helen lay a trap for Derengő, and Károly has no time to warn him. Derengő is shot dead by the police. (official distributor synopsis)