1992年，在罗马尼亚一个叫穆塞尔的小镇上，国有企业ARO汽车制造厂刚刚破产。有传言说工厂将在一周内私有化，买家是一个法国公司，想要把工厂改成一个蜗牛罐头厂。工会领导，乔治，拼命寻求拯救工厂的方法。他说服了1000个男工卖精子给布加勒斯特新开的精子银行，所赚的钱可以让他们买下工厂……

This Romanian dramatic comedy offers metaphorical commentary on life after Ceausescu's reign as it tells the story of a rural community turned topsy-turvy in their mad quest for the snails a prominent senator has requested for his dinner. The trouble begins when a rather imposing, pompous senator comes to visit a small rural Romanian town for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new hydro-electric dam. After he finishes his speech, the senator is accosted by a Swiss film crew eager to interview him. The senator is inordinately concerned with presenting a positive image of Romania to the world at large and so when he learns that he and the journalists are to stay at the same villa, does everything he came to make sure that they see nothing scandalous.