In Majdanpek, Serbia, a culture historically renowned for magical practices and supernatural creatures is being eaten away by an ever-expanding copper mine. A giver and taker of life, the mine is central to the regional economy but a major threat to traditional practices of the local Vlach population, a minority ethnicity within the Balkans that is often stigmatised and overlooked. The pollution is so critical it's even driving out the dragons said to live in the forests.
These conflicts between nature/tradition and industry/modernity shape the lives of the family of Dragan, a miner by profession and dragon hunter by tradition. His 90-year old father "Grandpa" Pera was a dragon hunting legend whose fame crossed borders, but how is Dragan supposed to continue his legacy when there are no dragons left? In any case, he has more pressing concerns, such as the chronic health problems he's struggling with as a result of decades of inhaling toxic dust. Moreover, his own son Cvele doesn't seem to have any option but to follow him into the mine and keep perpetuating the cycle.
The fate of Dragan's feisty, larger-than-life sister Desa is also interconnected with the mine. Her husband Ilija was the head of the union, but he died just as he retired, plunging their family into instability. When the mine is bought from the Serbian state by a Chinese company, Desa is worried that her last remaining rights might be taken away from her. She becomes determined to rally the city's old spirit of resistance and solidarity, but she has no idea where to start.
Caught in the middle of global socio-political forces, the family continue in their optimism and keep dreaming of striking gold, both literally and metaphorically, against all odds. Flotacija follows them over several years, with humour and tenderness, bizarreness and humanity.
