Cinematic interpretation of the much-discussed rise and fall of Willem Aantjes, a man who regarded politics as his vocation. The pressure that this placed on his marriage plays a prominent role. Aantjes would be the first leader of the CDA (Christian democratic political party), but tripped in 1978 over an alleged war past. According to this story, in which fact and fiction mix, NATO and the air force forged a plot against him. His own silence, of course, did not help.