Hrabal tells the story of the love-stricken young railway clerk Milos. He serves at a small station on an important route during the final months of World War II. The Germans transport reinforcements and supplies to the Eastern Front in specially secured trains, while hospital trains travel in the opposite direction. Due to a suspicious delay, they take Milos hostage but soon release him. One of the following nights, Milos is freed from his love troubles. Determined, he then participates in an attack on an ammunition transport and is severely wounded. In this masterful narrative, Hrabal juxtaposes the all-too-human comedy with the horrific, creating a powerful effect.