Young men Štěpán, Ludvík and Karel became friends abroad, where they fought during World War II. Now they have returned home and are thinking about their future. Štěpán is a designer, so he starts a car repair shop. There is also work for Ludvík, while Karel gets a job at the Omega car factory. However, the young entrepreneurs are all in debt and their business is not prospering. Štěpán invents a car carburetor, but he has no way to test it. In his greatest need, he receives news that Štěpán will inherit from his uncle from South America...

Karel Kubat, the successful director of the Globus printing house, learns on his fiftieth birthday that he has a serious heart condition. The bad news forces him to take stock of his life. In his mind, he returns to key situations that gradually changed his character and outlook on life...

A story about the conditions in Bohemia in the second half of the nineteenth century, when small-town officials, such as Hrdlička, succumbed to the predators of the emerging large financial and industrial bourgeoisie, represented by Jestřáb.

Dance star Maria Arni is in love with Achim, the ballet répétiteur at the Municipal Opera. He, however, only has eyes for shy Else, a new girl at Maria's dance school. The girls are to accompany Maria on her new tour. The day before it begins, Else meets the English diplomat Bentley at a party. He courts her and nicknames her Daphne. Daphne believes she has found the man of her dreams. But then Bentley stops contacting her and eventually leaves. When Maria falls and injures herself during a performance in Geneva, Daphne steps in for her. In the audience, she sees Bentley and Achim sitting together. She then realizes that only Achim, who truly loves her, deserves her love.