Bedřich Frank

Wealthy and ill Petr Kornel (Karel Hasler) is not pleased with the carousing lifestyle of his nephew. He stops supporting him financially and demands that he change his name. Out of gratitude Kornel bequeaths a substantial sum of money to his nurse Alice (Adina Mandlová) with the condition that she marries. Petr Suk (Hugo Haas), as the nephew is now named, visits the doctor. In the waiting room his X-ray is mistakenly switched with one of another patient's. On the basis of this he presently learns that he is seriously ill and has only one day of life left to him.

The likeable and charming Vanda Karhanová has problems in every job because of her appearance. So when she is about to start a new job, she decides to decisively prevent similar problems. She adjusts and dresses in a way that men do not notice her and do not pay attention to her. She has no idea that she will cause even more problems for herself, and not only because she now bears an uncanny resemblance to the millionaire Czech-American Ruth Baretová, who ran away from home to avoid getting married. First, Vanda is mistakenly arrested and ends up in the police station, so she cannot return to work. At the factory, they suspect her of having disappeared with a large sum of money that they had entrusted to her to deposit in the bank. Then the whole situation is complicated by the arrival of the real Miss Baretová.

In the Škoda factory, where they are feverishly rearming in 1914, works the foreman Kalina, the father of the young men Pavel and Jan. Pavel is a supporter of the monarchy, while Jan, on the contrary, defends the idea of ​​our national independence. Just before mobilization, Jan escapes to Russia, where he joins a group of volunteer legionnaires called the "Czech Company", fighting against the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Pavel enlists in the Austrian army. The brothers do not meet again until July 1917 in the battle of Zborov in Ukraine, which marked a successful breakthrough of the Austro-Hungarian front.

A series of unfortunate events led the protagonist astray: even taking other people's money did not save his wife's life, she died in childbirth. After his release from prison, he did not find the strength to report to his daughter who was placed in an orphanage, and after a fight in a pub, out of fear of being prosecuted again, he even fled abroad. But, old and sick, he still longs to return to his homeland.

The family of Prague burgher and master interior decorator Václav Kondelík lives happily in their house on Ječná Street. The peace is disturbed by an invitation to an "apron party", where their daughter Pepička meets a young municipal official, František Vejvara. The two young people fall in love. Their relationship is also supported by Mrs. Kondelíková, because Vejvara could become a welcome groom for her daughter. However, Pepička's acquaintance disrupts the established order of Kondelík's life.

Věra Kalinová lives a life of luxury with her uncle, a factory owner. Having just won a literary contest, she receives an offer to work for the social affairs column of a magazine. The aspiring writer takes her future editorial role very seriously—she wants to experience "real life" first. Telling her family she is heading to the mountains, she disguises herself as a poor girl and visits an employment agency.

Country tailor Florian Svíčička neglects his work because of his interest in medieval history. When preparing an amateur performance at Zdislavice Castle, he gladly replaces the bailiff and plays the role of a knight. However, he ruins the performance and is shamefully banished. On his way home, he witnesses a horrific scene in the forest: two knights behead a young girl. It later turns out that it was a filming, and the girl Hana, a double for the famous diva Elvíra, spends the night with Florian at the castle because the filmmakers accidentally leave her. The master loses patience with Florian's excesses and Florian is fired from the tailoring shop. He sets off for Prague to find the girl he was with at the castle the night before. However, he does not know her name and accidentally comes to Elvíra's villa. The diva is not at home. Florian finds a love letter in the villa and thinks it is addressed to him. However, upon his return, Elvíra mercilessly throws Florian out...