5th century BC. Syracuse. The Peloponnesian War is underway, and hundreds of Athenians, after a failed attack on Syracuse, find themselves imprisoned. They are held in a quarry, dying from hunger,
thirst, and disease. Two Syracusans, unemployed potters Gelon and Lampon, decide to stage a play with the help of the imprisoned Athenians — Euripides' “Medea.” But only those who can recite at least a few lines from the great tragedy by heart are allowed to be actors, who are promised food and drink. They need to find money for both food and costumes and for the set design. Additionally, they have to persuade the Sicilians, who hate the Athenians, to come to the performance.