A broadly drawn ideological epic set in the summer of 1947 in the borderlands of northern Bohemia: reactionary elements plot to undermine postwar social change while committed local communists struggle to organize workers and defend the emerging order. The narrative follows several archetypal figuresâsteadfast party activists, wary peasants, and obstructive reactionariesâwhose clashes illustrate the claimed inevitability of working-class victory under communist leadership.