 Soldiers take over a town, removing all color, pets, and art. Residents are imprisoned; a decorative building becomes a guard tower; the cock at the top of a dome is pulled down and replaced with a raven. But irrepressible impulses remain, especially in a child with her watering can and an artist with his paintbrush. A flower gives rise to a jester who counterattacks. Is the seed mightier than the sword?