Fetters

The veterinarian Jiří Klimeš is an outstanding expert in his field. He comes from a poor family; he was raised by his uncle and aunt in the village of Štěpánov. This is where he met his first true love, Magda Muzikářová, but after his graduation he married the well off Sylva. Years later, he meets Magda again in Štěpánov, where he has come to perform a risky operation that saves a precious bullock for his fellow-farmers. The meeting rekindles old emotions. Klimeš realizes bitterly how many years he has wasted in the petit-bourgeois environment of Sylva and her family. Sylva senses that her marriage is in danger and insists that Jiří accept a post in town, where she also uses her connections to get a luxurious flat for them. She sells her half of the family villa to buy a new car. Jiří is already certain he doesn't care for that kind of life. He wants to divorce her and start a new life with Magda but is unable to reach a decision. Only in Štěpánov where, drunk, he is taken by his uncle to assist in a difficult delivery of a favourite mare's foal, does Jiří understand that this is his last chance to rid himself of the fetters of his petit-bourgeois life and return to his work and his people, perhaps also his love.