The word is a weapon. And Karel Havlíček Borovský knew how to aim accurately.

As an editor, he wants to see for himself how the Czech people live at a time when the clouds of revolutionary change are gathering over Europe. But his journey through the Highlands soon turns into more than just a journalistic mission - it becomes a journey of personal courage, a confrontation with power and a deep understanding of the meaning of freedom of speech.

From village to village, from pub to parish, from fields to noble courts - Havlíček collects stories of people who want to be heard. He discovers that freedom is not a given and that the pen can hurt more than the sword. In Brod he encounters censors, officials, but also ordinary people who find hope in him.

Along the way, he also experiences his inner struggles - doubts, loneliness, memories of his childhood and his longing for a fairer world. Through fictional letters addressed to his later daughter Zdeňka, he reveals his soul to the audience - not as a textbook statue, but as a flesh-and-blood human being.

The climax comes when he is confronted with a decision: will he continue to write the truth, even if it leads him into exile - or will he adapt and betray everything he has fought for?

The film ends with a return to the Brod - not physical, but mental. The shots of the empty square, the silent landscape and the echoes of his words show that even when Karel leaves for Brixen, his voice remains.

The main characters:

• Karel Havlíček Borovský - intelligent, ironic, determined. A young man who believes in the power of words and justice.
• Parish priest Štěpán - an old friend from his youth with whom he has philosophical debates about faith, reason and patriotism.
• Baroness Ulrich - an aristocrat from the vicinity of Lipnice who represents the old world - educated but cynical.
• Matěj Král - a peasant son from Přibyslav who wants to study, but society prevents him.
• Marie - the innkeeper from the Brodsky Tavern who brings humanity, humour and hope to the story.

History and cultural context:

The text is based on history. Havlíčkův Brod is named after Karel Havlíček Borovský, who has a large memorial in Havlíčkův Brod's Budoucnost Park.