Insightful and compassionate, this tale of a young boy's coming of age involves his struggle to overcome depression after the death of his father in a swimming accident and his attempts to understand the adult world around him. Jozka's (Jiri Korytar) father has recently died by drowning, and along with his phobia of water, Jozka's negative, unhappy outlook leaves him with an unusually poor performance at school and invites the taunts of his schoolmates as well. His mother (Jana Plichtova), overcome by her own grief, has a hard time with Jozka herself, and so when Pavel (Michal Pesek), a new and sympathetic schoolteacher, shows up, it is a turning point in the young boy's life. Pavel slowly develops a trusting relationship with Jozka, and is pivotal in changing more than the boy's attitude alone.