Pavel Hejnal

A short story film presenting four micro-stories of Prague residents and visitors: Panorama, The Lawyer, The Ordinary Timetable, The Secret of the Monument.

During the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, the main characters of the story meet in a village pub. A traveling magician performs his variety show there with his assistant and current lover, with whom the local innkeeper had an affair in the past. The assistant would like to settle down, as she is tired of the traveling life. However, after an argument, the magician kicks her out. Hiding in the tavern's cellar is a young 16-year-old girl, half-Jewish, who is fascinated by the magician's performance. The innkeepers have been hiding her there somewhat against their will. When the girl runs away with the magician, they feel somewhat relieved. But only until they realize what would happen if the girl revealed where she was hiding.

Set in Czechoslovakia, the drama follows the lives of its characters against the backdrop of real historical events that shape their personal stories. To evoke period atmosphere, the series intersperses authentic clips from vintage Czechoslovak film newsreels, using their original commentaries or newly recorded historical voice-overs by Vladimír Fišer. A narrator, initially voiced by Vojtěch Kotek and later by Matěj Hádek, provides continuity and reflection, guiding viewers through changing times. Under the guidance of screenwriter Rudolf Merkner, each episode’s script weaves family and individual dramas into key moments of Czech and Slovak history: political shifts, cultural trends, and social transformations from the 1960s onward.