A grieving father pursues contact with his dead wife while his son becomes trapped between family obligation, work, and escalating lies.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
A Funeral Interrupted
Pavel returns late to his childhood hometown for Valentina's funeral and faces Vasil's resentment. A phone incident and a strange claim about Valentina's call disturb the mourning.
Key Events
Valentina's Funeral — Valentina's funeral begins as Vasil mourns and Pavel travels from the city. Characters: Vasil, Pavel, ValentinaLocation: The hometown cemetery
Pavel Arrives Late — Pavel arrives late and moves through the mourners toward Vasil. Characters: Pavel, VasilLocation: The funeral grounds
Father And Son Reunite — Pavel joins a stiffly resentful Vasil beside Valentina's casket. Characters: Pavel, VasilLocation: Beside the open casket
The Frog Ringtone — Pavel's phone rings with a frog-ribbit ringtone during the funeral. Characters: Pavel, VasilLocation: The funeral grounds
A Strange Phone Claim — A woman claims that the dead woman called her cell phone. Characters: Vasil, ValentinaLocation: The funeral grounds
The Search Beyond Death
Vasil seeks a psychic who claims to communicate with the dead. Pavel becomes concerned as Vasil's grief turns into a determined search for contact with Valentina.
Key Events
Vasil Seeks Contact — Vasil decides to seek a psychic who claims to contact the dead. Characters: Vasil, ValentinaLocation: The hometown
Pavel Hides The Truth — Pavel lies to Vasil about why his wife is absent from the funeral. Characters: Pavel, VasilLocation: The hometown
Pavel Calls His Wife — Pavel speaks to his wife by phone while hiding where he is and why. Characters: PavelLocation: The hometown
Work Deadline Looms — Pavel's assistant is running down the clock on an advertising job. Characters: PavelLocation: Pavel's workplace
A Difficult Client — A tricky client increases the pressure surrounding Pavel's advertising work. Characters: PavelLocation: Pavel's workplace
The Psychic's Promise — A local guru claims to be able to commune with the dead. Characters: Vasil, ValentinaLocation: The hometown
Duties Pull Apart
Pavel's lies spread across his family and professional life while the advertising job continues under pressure. Vasil's interest in the guru forces Pavel to postpone his return.
Key Events
The Psychic's Promise — A local guru claims to be able to commune with the dead. Characters: Vasil, ValentinaLocation: The hometown
Pavel Delays Returning — Vasil's unexpected interest in the guru forces Pavel to delay his return. Characters: Pavel, VasilLocation: The hometown
Pavel Questions Vasil — Pavel tries to persuade Vasil to abandon the psychic pursuit. Characters: Pavel, VasilLocation: The hometown
Vasil Refuses — Vasil stubbornly insists on handling the situation his own way. Characters: Vasil, PavelLocation: The hometown
Lies Multiply — Pavel's explanations to Vasil and his wife become increasingly difficult to maintain. Characters: Pavel, VasilLocation: The hometown
Pavel's Conflicting Duties — Pavel is pulled between Vasil's demands, his wife, and his unfinished work. Characters: PavelLocation: Between the hometown and the city
The White-Lie Trap
Pavel tries to reason with Vasil, but Vasil insists on following his own path. The competing demands leave Pavel trapped in an increasingly unstable web of explanations.
Key Events
Vasil Follows His Path — Vasil continues pursuing contact with Valentina despite Pavel's objections. Characters: Vasil, Pavel, ValentinaLocation: The hometown
Pavel's White-Lie Storm — Pavel becomes trapped in an expanding network of white lies. Characters: Pavel, VasilLocation: The hometown
No Easy Return — Pavel cannot simply return to the city while Vasil remains committed to his search. Characters: Pavel, VasilLocation: The hometown
Grief Leaves Them Stranded — Vasil remains bound to Valentina's memory while Pavel is trapped by his deceptions. Characters: Pavel, Vasil, ValentinaLocation: The hometown
Story Breakdown
Funeral Return — Pavel returns from the city to his childhood hometown for Valentina's funeral.
Late Arrival — Pavel reaches the funeral late and faces Vasil's resentment.
Open Casket — Pavel joins Vasil beside Valentina's open casket.
Strange Phone Claim — A funeral incident introduces the possibility that Valentina has somehow made contact.
Frog Ringtone — Pavel's phone rings with a frog-ribbit sound during the funeral.
Dead Woman Called — A woman claims that Valentina called her cell phone.
Vasil's Mourning Search — Vasil responds to grief by seeking someone who claims to communicate with the dead.
Psychic Pursuit — Vasil seeks help from a local guru or psychic.
Contact With Valentina — Vasil's goal is to communicate with his dead wife.
Pavel's Deceptions — Pavel uses false explanations to manage the consequences of the funeral and his absence.
Family Lie — Pavel lies to Vasil about the reason for his wife's absence.
Phone Evasions — Pavel misleads his wife about where he is and why.
Competing Obligations — Pavel is divided between Vasil's needs and the professional work waiting in the city.
Advertising Deadline — An advertising job continues under time pressure.
Delayed Return — Vasil's pursuit of the psychic forces Pavel to postpone returning.
The White-Lie Trap — Pavel's attempts to control the situation fail as Vasil refuses to change course.
Failed Reasoning — Pavel tries to bring Vasil to his senses.
Stubborn Grief — Vasil insists on doing things his own way.
Vasil has just lost his long-time partner in life, his wife Ivanka. When a woman at her funeral proclaims that the dead woman called her cellphone, Vasil seeks out the help of a well-known psychic in order to try to contact his wife. His son Pavel tries to bring him to his senses, but Vasil stubbornly insists on doing things his own way… Following the internationally successful The Lesson and Glory, Grozeva and Valchanov return with an intimate family drama about the difficulties of connecting with those close to us. As the picture slowly gathers momentum, its story unfolds many of the carefully arranged absurd or comic situations typical for the Bulgarian filmmaking duo.
