2차 세계대전 말, 독일점령하에 있는 체코의 어느 작은 시골역. 이제 막 연수를 마치고 철도원이 된 22살의 밀로시 흐르마는 부푼 꿈을 안고 역무일을 시작하지만, 이내 차장 마샤의 매력에 홀딱 빠져 오로지 그녀와의 ‘사랑 만들기’에만 골몰하게 된다. 마침 독일의 무기수송열차를 폭파하려는 레지스탕스 활동이 비밀리에 진행되고, 얼떨결에 작전에 참여하게 되는데…
Oldrich is the runt of his village, beaten by his father, bullied by the other boys. But he has imagination of his side, and a wiry toughness they can’t defeat. The village is in turmoil, because the Nazi occupiers have just retreated and the Red Army is advancing. Oldrich dodges amid the mayhem and panic, taking his share of blows but always managing to stay one step ahead. Beautifully shot and darkly ironic, Karel Kachyna’s forgotten masterpiece jumbles reality, memory and fantasy to capture the intensity and confusion of childhood in a war zone.