Jindřich Tůma, a partner in the gas mask shop "Asana", has a very energetic wife who promotes a vegetarian diet. The real soul of the company is Ing. Ivan Kareš, who also leads civil defense exercises. On the street, during a practice air raid warning, he sternly reprimands a girl who did not go to shelter. It is Věrka, the Tůma's niece, who comes from the countryside to finish her studies in Prague. Věrka enters the seventh grade and soon shares the enthusiasm of her classmates for an unknown composer whose pseudonym is Michal Marhan. Ing. Kareš gives a lecture on civil defense in the seventh grade and so meets Věrka again. Kareš tries to convince the girls of the necessity of more concrete life ideals. At the premiere of Marhan's operetta "Píseň o štěstí" it turns out that Kareš is the composer. The girls give him a standing ovation. Ivan ignores Věrka, with whom he has recently had a falling out. The stubborn girl therefore leaves for home...

A fortune teller predicts that Dr. Přelouč will marry the third poor girl he meets. Míla, the daughter of factory owner Janota, likes the doctor and, with the help of his housekeeper Amálka, sneaks into his home disguised as a poor shoelace saleswoman. She first prepares for her role by exploring the outskirts, where she meets Vendelín Pleticha, who becomes her guide to the local pubs and her teacher of the vernacular. Dr. Přelouč is enthusiastic about the poor, uneducated girl and tries to teach her the basics of social behavior and standard language. All this until he discovers that Míla has deceived him and that Pleticha is not her father, as she had claimed...

Attorney František Uher is known for his patriotic mindset and active assistance in disputes between the Czechs and the Austrian justice system. One of his clients is the poet Šulc, who, while staying with Uhry, discovers that the lawyer's wife Anna is flirting with Uhry's cousin Hojer. When Anna does not respond to Šulc's warning, the poet draws attention to Anna's relationship with Uhra. Uher wants to know the truth, so he returns early from a business trip and actually catches Anna cheating. Disappointment brings him to the "Batalion" pub in Old Prague, where Šulc also used to go some time ago. Here, Uher becomes a mentor to the poorest, but gradually falls into alcoholism. He once again finds strength and stands on the side of justice when he accuses the police in court of murdering poor Lojzík, who wanted to marry the unfortunate waitress from "Battalion" Mimi. After appearing in court, Uher is arrested and "Battalion" is closed. After his release, Uher becomes an organist...