Miner Szántó László discovers quality bauxite on the hillside, near his village home. He and his workmates dig a prospecting trench on the area. The results are promising as the ore deposit, situated close to the surface, seems to be a very rich one, but the Mining Company and the Institute for Bauxite Research at first refuse to hear about it, let alone opening a new quarry at the site. Later they change their mind and attitude, setting out to speed up research and then to establish a gigantic new open-cast quarry, destroying the miner's village as well as leaving him abased and disregarded in the process.