Josef Škvorecký

A group of the bourgeois head for a prominent figure's birthday party. As they venture through the woods and have a picnic, they're suddenly surrounded by some suspicious strangers.

The theft of a pearl necklace and subsequent murder took place at the Tartaros cabaret. All this could compromise the minister, who is an admirer of the singer Clara. The real culprits must be found as soon as possible...

A verger, who likes to dress as a priest, is invited, by one of the villagers, to be the pastor at a vacant church. The atheist teacher resents the pastor, and tries to embarrass him in various ways, including being caught with the local girl, Majka.

Detective Lieutenant Boruvka (Lubomír Lipský) is called to the State Scientific Library to investigate the loss of a precious manuscript, the Infernal Psalter of the Occult Sciences by Master Peregrinus from the eleventh century, written in a secret script which has only recently been deciphered by senior lecturer Zajíc (Josef Chvalina). Chaos is reigning in the labyrinth of passages and halls of the former monastery where the library is housed. In order to save space the director of the library has introduced a peculiar system. The books are arranged in the bookcases according to height and six girls dressed in black, the library assistants, are quite happy to cut volumes down to size in case of need. Boruvka refuses the case, since he is specialist in murders. He has to return to the investigation, however, when senior lecturer Zajíc disappears.

At the centre of the story is Miss Lenka Stříbrná. An attractive, but a little strange young woman. The gym teacher Vasek is shy and very clumsy with women. So he asks his friend, the editor Karel, for help. The experienced seducer willingly seizes the opportunity and tries to win Lenka for himself, but all his efforts fail due to her stubbornness. Gradually, this comedy-tinged love etude gives way to drama. It culminates at an editorial party at the Slap Dam, where all the characters in the story meet unexpectedly and editor Leden finally understands what Miss Silver's flirtation was all about.

The theft of a pearl necklace and subsequent murder took place at the Tartaros cabaret. All this could compromise the minister, who is an admirer of the singer Clara. The real culprits must be found as soon as possible...

Songs about eternal love, American vagabonds, cowboys and desperadoes, with the romance of railways and trains speeding into the distance are recorded as film songs, and so, for example, in the well-known standard Franck and Johnny you will see M. Kopecký, J. Jirásková, J. Lír and others singing. In Chajda drnový, W. Matuška and K. Štědrý, K. Gott rides a horse or sails on a boat and R. Cortéz cries (off-screen) over the death of the famous robber Jesse James...

A verger, who likes to dress as a priest, is invited, by one of the villagers, to be the pastor at a vacant church. The atheist teacher resents the pastor, and tries to embarrass him in various ways, including being caught with the local girl, Majka.

Three short story omnibus. The main hero and connecting link is Lieutenant Boruvka, created by Lubomír Lipsky. He deals with the murder case between climbers, the death of the dancer in the music theater and the strange disappearance of the mathematics professor.