[1] The film is composed of six whimsical, yet blackly comic short stories, each one set in the late Communist period in Romania and based on urban myths from the time, reflecting the perspective of ordinary people.

The title of the film refers to the alleged "Golden Age" (by Bolshevik propaganda) of the last 15 years of Nicolae Ceaușescu's regime.

A government official arrives and attention is paid to the smallest detail, yet the people are let down when a phone call reveals the motorcade is no longer coming.

With everyone disconsolate and the worse for drink, the official orders everyone to ride together on the children's carousel, but as the mayor passes out, they realize that there is no one to switch the machine off and get them down.

The Legend of the Zealous Activist (Romanian: Legenda Politrucului Zelos) The audience at a large county level Communist Party meeting is told by an outside official that their county, home to four notables that he names, has an unacceptably low literacy rate in its villages and towns.

One such activist is next seen being driven out to a remote village until the washed out road forces him to complete the journey on foot over difficult territory.

He heads into town to meet the mayor, who offers various excuses, such as lack of electricity and the demands of farm work, for the poor attendance at the local school and other problems.

The Legend of the Air Sellers (Romanian: Legenda Vânzătorilor de Aer) High school student Crina meets small-time con-artist Bughi, who ekes a living pretending to be a water inspector: calling door-to-door, he asks residents to provide a sample of their tap water in a bottle they supply, which he turns in for the deposit.

He brings her the eggs laid overnight by the chickens in his truck, but the two of them realize with Easter coming up, it would be more profitable to sell them on to the general public instead.