Writer-director Jirí Menzel helms this bittersweet fable of Jan Dite (Ivan Barnev), an opportunistic young waiter in pre-World War II Czechoslovakia. Shrewdly attaching himself to the rich and famous, Dite dreams of one day owning his own hotel. When a tragedy unexpectedly delivers his wish, Dite discovers that hanging on to his dream is even harder than achieving it. Julia Jentsch, Zuzana Fialova, Petra Hrebickova, Sarka Petruzelova and Martin Huba co-star.