Heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand is assassinated, and World War I begins. The Prague dog dealer Josef Švejk, although declared "definitively stupid" by a military doctor, finds himself caught up in the machinery of the military, whether in bureaucratic madness, under Lieutenant Lukáš, or at the front. With calculated and endearing naivety, Švejk defends himself against the absurdity of war. The military apparatus is presented in all its details par excellence. Jaroslav Hašek has created a unique character in Švejk and a brilliant satire against militarism.