Irén (Cecília Esztergályos) is a kindergarten teacher in communist Budapest desperate to acquire her own apartment. Because housing allocation is strictly controlled, she enters into an extramarital affair with László (Pál Hetényi), a married man who promises to help her secure a place. To bypass state bureaucracy, Irén enters a fake marriage arranged through her friend Ili (Judit Pogány). However, the scheme devolves into personal friction, absurd housing regulation loopholes, and emotional fatigue as Irén attempts to navigate love, independence, and domestic stability.