It is the spring of 1948. The joy of peace has not yet faded, and both East and West are already afraid of World War III. Both worlds are separated from each other by the deep forests of Šumava. Twenty-four-year-old cook Josef Hasil serves in the kitchen of the National Security Corps in Zvonková. Wild boy. He had already experienced the war in a German labor camp and as a link between partisans. Now he longs above all for fun, adventure, freedom. The last thing he cares about is politics.

Based on Gluck's masterpiece and performed entirely on location in and around the environs of the Baroque Theatre at the Cesky Krumlov Castle in the Czech Republic; it's an opera production designed specifically for the film with outstanding sets and production values. Countertenor Bejun Mehta sings the role of the torn main character and acts as an artistic advisor, making for an involving and impeccably performed opera.