The film begins in a remote Romanian village in the Carpathian Mountains, connected to the rest of the world by a dirt path and single-rail railroad. There are no streets, no telephones. There is a water fountain; wood for fire is cut in the surrounding forest. The great treasure here, though, and that which the inhabitants rest their hopes on, is their music - with its roots that span from ancient Rome to the furthest regions of the East. The farmers that play this music are gypsies. When two young Germans arrive one day, they fall in love with the musical tradition and decide to make "Fanfare Ciocrlia" known internationally.
