Zoli Novotna is a Gypsy girl. She lives in a camp, following the traditions of her people and suffering together with them: her childhood falls on the years of the genocide of the Gypsies.
Zoli is a brilliant poet, and both her fellow people and their persecutors—“white” people, gadje—recognize it. They even offer to publish Zoli’s book of poems, and the girl, despite the Gypsy ban on recording songs, agrees. But when authorities begin to use Zoli’s name to destroy the centuries-old way of life of her people, the elders curse the singer and drive her out of the familiar world. Usually, this is followed by madness and death—but Zoli will still find the strength to live, love, and sing.