Pavel Josek is a respected doctor and former dissident. He is loved by his wife and adored by his daughter, Lucie, who is seriously ill. She recovers, only to discover that her sound engineer husband Ludék has been unfaithful to her. Moreover, he is extremely jealous and touchy when it comes to the family of his revered father-in-law, who is currently the subject of a major documentary film enshrining the ex-dissident’s life and work. Ludék, who is working on the film, discovers a dark spot in his hated father-in-law’s biography: in the seventies the doctor worked for the Czech secret service as an informer and betrayed his friend Bořek, who was forced to emigrate to Sweden. Bořek was not only the lover of the woman who later became Pavel’s wife, he is also Lucie’s biological father. Lucie, who has no inkling of any of these facts, is deeply shocked to learn of this betrayal, of the identity of her biological father, as well as thirty years of lies.
Against the backdrop of the peaceful ‘velvet’ revolution, the film sounds out the boundaries of personal and collective memory; it also examines the notion of guilt and forgiveness and the consequences of an individual’s actions. Prior to being brought to the screen, the screenplay, which is based on numerous real-life events, received the renowned Sazka Award in 2009.