Vaclav, the village loser, in his 40's bordering on autism, lives with his widowed mother on the outskirts of the village. He is seen by villagers as the local fool, nothing but a constant pain for them, but there is a skeleton in the village closet concerning his father's death. He gets no mercy from his brother Frantisek either. The two forever compete for the attention of their mother, and now even for Frantisek's mistress Lida. The tension between Vaclav, his brother and the village escalates into a criminal act. Though no serious harm is done, Vaclav gets no protection this time and is put into prison. For the first time without his mother's shelter he faces the real world and becomes a target of fellow prisoners. Haunted by the traumatic memories of his dad, he is dying slowly. Mother decides to ask for a presidential pardon from Vaclav Havel, but it will only have a chance if she submits a letter of support signed by all the villagers. Will the village face their conscience and accept Václav again?