A young doctor, former partisan leader - is he a hero, or a murderer? His wife - a victim, or a minion of a totalitarian regime? And his lover - a political careerist, or a naive single mother betrayed by fate? The dramatic fates of these antiheroes from the era of rise of communism are stories of violence and resistance, weakness and courage, much like the ones that take place today.

Four short stories depicting the private life of Czechoslovak soldiers. In the short story "The Pheasant", the hardened corporal Kony takes revenge on the bullying of the new recruit Lubos. On the way to get a tank repaired, however, a manly friendship is born between the two men. The story Potato depicts a brigade during which, despite the prohibitions of a strict professor, soldiers and students become close at an evening disco. The buns bring to life the problems of military love: Štěpánka prefers Peter to Honza, but pays heavily for her mistake. The film closes with the short story "The Solution", in which a lieutenant from Slovakia has problems with the arrangement of his family life.

In the early 20th century, in the surroundings of a luxurious boarding house and casino, the story of a mature woman and an immature young man unfolds. He is obsessed with gambling, she with the desire to save him with her love. It happened twenty years ago. The elderly noble lady recalls her experience in her youth and, with the benefit of hindsight, explains and defends it.