Captain Vašátko of the criminal police and Horác, a painter, bohemian, and amateur detective, escape the stresses of life by going to the river to fish. Horác befriends a young neighbor who is found dead one day. Everything points to suicide, but Horác is still suspicious, so he embarks on an investigation, even resorting to unacceptable tricks that ultimately land him in a very unpleasant situation. Fortunately, his friend Commissioner Vašátko intervenes, understanding his friend's extravagance...
Commissioner Vašátko meets painter Horác while on vacation at a mountain cabin. A diverse group of guests has gathered here, ruled over by the aggressive and arrogant director Skorkovský, who humiliates and abuses his son with nonsensical orders. Horác takes this very badly, as do the others—but they are somehow indebted to the director. The tension in the cottage gradually increases, and the director is found dead. The police cannot get to the cottage because of a storm, so the experienced Commissioner Vašátko takes charge of the investigation. The cottage is full of people who have strong motives for murder...
Mr. Laffler is strange. Everyone in the office he runs knows that. The clerk, Costain also knows this, so he is very surprised when his otherwise impersonal boss does something as human as inviting Costain to dinner. But not at home. At home, he says, he does not accept guests. He leads him to an inconspicuous, secluded restaurant U Sbirra, where a very closed company of strange people meet.
