On Christmas Eve, mother jokingly informs her little son Petrik that the best present would probably be a belt. Petrik goes to the department store and buys a belt there for his mother, at the same time inviting people he met along the way, including a pickpocket.
Young doctor Vencl is going through a difficult beginning. In the small town and especially in the surrounding isolated villages, he must first overcome the distrust of the locals, who still prefer to be treated by incantations. He has to get used to being led to a stable at night in the secluded forest, because an animal is often worth more than a human being. He also fights victoriously with the councilors who do not want to give him anything from the municipal coffers. He endures the bullying of the mayor's wife and wins the trust of the poorest of the poor.
A portrait of a Nazi officer, the commander of a concentration camp, touches on the contradictory sides of his personality - on the one hand, a caring, nurturing family man, on the other, a ruthless Nazi, applying a policy of extermination without restraint. It is this man, who takes on 13-year-old Emilka, a Czech girl destined for "re-education"; through her eyes, we then see the imposed family, the complex formation of relationships with a man who tries to treat her kindly. The little girl goes through a painful discovery of true reality. During her stay in Germany, she tries not to forget her real home and believes that she will meet her mother once more in her life and return.
.png)
