In the region of Thessaly, Stratilatis and his family travel from place to place carrying out itinerant work. The nomadic life, ignorance, poverty and inertia are a bar to their prosperity, leaving them at the mercy of fate. The marriage of Stratilatiss young daughter to a much older man is a temporary solution to the familys financial problems, but exacerbates the situation so that the members of the family become increasingly alienated from one another until their ultimate separation and isolation.
One of the most popular modern Greek plays, The Festival is an eloquent reflection of its era but also has a timeless quality. In its tender but expert dissection of human relationships it examines attitudes and distorted perceptions that remain to this day.