Orphaned Zdeňka Štěpánová helps her foster parents in Moravia at an inn. One day she learns that she is to be taken in by the owner of a toy factory, Miloš Kavan, who will fulfill her father's last wish. At the same time that Kavan and his housekeeper Mrs. Julie are expecting Zdeňka, their caretaker's little niece Hanička arrives. Mrs. Julie initially considers her her protégé, because she has no idea that Zdeňka is already a grown-up girl...
The family of Prague burgher and master interior decorator Václav Kondelík lives happily in their house on Ječná Street. The peace is disturbed by an invitation to an "apron party", where their daughter Pepička meets a young municipal official, František Vejvara. The two young people fall in love. Their relationship is also supported by Mrs. Kondelíková, because Vejvara could become a welcome groom for her daughter. However, Pepička's acquaintance disrupts the established order of Kondelík's life.
