After World War II, Eastern European states attempted to maintain state control over personal expression. In the case of Poland, a special office intercepted, opened, and scrutinized personal mail from 1945 to 1989. Millions of letters, never received by their intended readers, were eventually rediscovered in police files. The filmmakers show how this correspondence develops into rich material to explore daily life under the strictures of an authoritarian society. Extraordinary archival and period footage provides a cinematic backdrop to carefully chosen excerpts from the letters. The film sets forth an oral history of decades of Cold War history and culture from the perspective of ordinary people, as well as a chilling examination of repression at its most efficient and impersonal. Videotape of the rise of mass protest movements such as Solidarity subtly anticipates recent democratic uprisings in the Middle East.  NK