In 1918, after returning from the Russian front to his home in Slavonia, Jovo Stanisavljevic Charuga and his friend Mali join the bandit Bozo Crveni, who, inspired by the October revolution, fights for a more just society. Soon the gendarmes kills Bozo, and Charuga becomes the leader of the bandits. They are soon transformed into a gang of unscrupulous criminals who stop at nothing to get their hands on loot. Charuga becomes rich, changes his identity and, pretending to be a successful merchant, befriends his fiercest enemy, the chief of police. In spite of this, the circle around the notorious thief tightens.