In May 1945, a broken violinist lies drunk by a creek, haunted by memories of his life before and during WWII. Once the celebrated first violin in spa orchestras, he married Jewish nurse Róza and dreamed of fatherhood, only to face brutal anti-Jewish persecution. Relegated to second violin, he spirals into alcoholism and betrayal, while Róza and their daughter are deported. Cast out by colleagues and lovers, he descends into madness, murdering a vagrant with his violin case. In a final psychotic haze, he tends a roadside Christ statue before collapsing, his shattered life a testament to love, loss, and atrocity.
The fairy tale is based on two fairy tales by Božena Němcová, "Righteous Bohumil" and "The Black Princess". It tells the story of a weak king and his wife, whose desire for a child leads her to a conspiracy with the devil. The princess, who grows up under the influence of the "impure" powers, only escapes from their power thanks to her love for the fisherman Radek.
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