Petra Cibulková

Building themes, however modified, permeated the nationalised cinema throughout its existence. This time, director Július Matula has focused on a young engineer who, with high hopes, accepts a position in a famous agricultural cooperative. However, he soon discovers that behind the proclaimed phrases there is in fact hypocrisy and protectionism. The authors criticise the fact that incompetence is often covered up, that shortcomings end up being cleverly camouflaged, that the social mood favours the mediocre and the adaptable. The hauers present a statement that is courageous, so to speak, within the limits of the law, and call for increased work consciousness.

The protagonist is the ordinary and still blameless Evžen Macík, who one day, while waiting for his lover Maria, witnesses a robbery of a savings bank. When the robber drops a briefcase with half a million in loot, the loot falls in front of Evžen, who can't resist, picks it up and disappears. He knows that someone might have seen him at the scene of the crime, so he turns himself in as a witness to Captain Richter, who is investigating the case. Shortly thereafter, however, Maciek is contacted by the robber, who begins to force him to hand over the money with constant threats, initially only by telephone. In addition to pressure from the robber, pressure from the police is added because Captain Richter correctly suspects that Macík is hiding something from him. The mounting pressure leads to Eugene starting to make mistakes.