Many children live in a poor cottage, the oldest of whom is Ondra. The cottage can no longer support them all, so the father sends his son out into the world to learn a trade. On his journey, Ondra meets an old man, to whom he offers his last bun. The mysterious old man advises him on which path to take and also gives the boy a gift. On his journey, Ondra meets many people and proves his cleverness in each encounter. When he arrives in the city, he looks around the shops and thinks about which trade he could learn. He chooses a goldsmith. He is accepted and is so skilled that his master allows him to make jewelry for the princess, with whom Ondra falls in love. The princess is mute, but clever Ondra is sure to find a way to deal with that.

A young man lives through the end of World War II

In an effort to secure his new family, an insurance agent undertakes an effective raid on clients, unaware that elsewhere, a scam is being hatched against him, and apparently not just one. The speed with which problems begin to pile up relentlessly rises vertiginously, and the fall becomes uncontrollable.

This production of Ostrava TV Studios was inspired by actual events which occurred in the Ostrava region of Moravia during the 1920s and 1930s. A hedonistic bon vivant of a lawyer named Zajícek (played by Václav Postránecký) came up with a sophisticated finance speculation scheme which exceeded the bounds of law. When discovered it became one of the most closely-followed First Republic scandals.