Mr. Novák, an insurance company clerk, only cares about his job, nothing else interests him. Even the social changes in February 1948 leave him indifferent. He only becomes aware of them when the insurance company is closed down. He has to make a decision: either retire or go to work in a factory. Neither of these options appeals to Mr. Novák...

Eva has just gotten married to an older gentleman, but discovers that he is obsessed with order in his life and doesn't have much room for passion. She becomes despondent and leaves him, returning to her father's house. One day while bathing in the lake, she meets a young man and they fall in love. The husband has become grief stricken at the loss of his young bride, and fate brings him together with the young lover that has taken Eva from him.