In a remote mountain village at the turn of the 20th century, Adam (Radek Holub), an impoverished young man, lives in isolation caring for his terminally ill mother (Valérie Zawadská), a woman ostracized by the village due to her past reputation. To buy morphine to ease her pain, Adam sells his family's sole valuable possession: their cow. Following his mother's death, Adam continues grueling labor in a nearby stone quarry. Róza (Alena Mihulová), a maid working for the local butcher (Antonín Molčík), begins visiting Adam's cottage to help with domestic chores. Despite initial mistrust and village prejudices, Adam and Róza fall in love, marry, and pool their savings to buy a new cow. However, when Róza falls critically ill after giving birth to their son, Adam is forced to face the painful prospect of selling their cow a second time to afford medical care.