Prague, during World War II. Hana Kaufmann, a Jewish ophthalmologist, marries Dr. Antonín Bureš, a Christian man. When her family is sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, their romance turns into a struggle for survival.

Kamil and Vlasta are a married couple living apart for work. When Vlasta stops in Prague to surprise him, she finds him “away” and asks his friend Pepek for help. Ignoring Pepek’s excuse, she heads to a nightclub—only to encounter Kamil with his mistress. News of Vlasta’s visit forces Kamil into a charade: he returns home to her empty-handed, then avoids her until morning at the station, where a mysterious package brings his clandestine night to a close.

Depiction of Czech students in the 1950s. The kids are less interested in communism than in rock n’ roll. Czech authorities deemed the work decadent and subversive, which led to the director being kicked out of film school.