A group of outcasts, including a vagabond and a prostitute, gather at the outskirts of the industrial area of a large Czech city, one of the things that helps some of them survive is alcohol.
Jitka is a 12-year-old girl who feels the first stirring of love. She becomes friends with a young man who is hospitalized with paralysis. Jitka visits the man every day and witnesses his slow recovery, but she is unaware that she could have deeper feelings for him.
The story of the piper Švanda, who went abroad for money and fame, but whose love for his homeland ultimately wins.
