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Creative Team

Under the watchful eyes of the whole village, Mařenka has fallen in love with Jeník, but her parents have other plans. Despite her mother Ludmilla’s reservations, her father Krušina has arranged for Mařenka to marry Vašek, the son of the wealthy landowner Míka, to settle an old debt and secure the family’s future. The marriage broker Kecal arrives to finalise the arrangement, but Mařenka refuses to marry a man she’s never met. She declares her love for Jeník, though her parents know nothing of his background or family. 

Meanwhile, Vašek arrives in search of his future bride. Mařenka seizes the opportunity: without revealing her identity, she spins tales of how terrible and cruel his bride-to-be is, warning him that marrying her will make him miserable. Vašek, charmed by this mysterious stranger, swears to avoid the marriage at all costs. Kecal pressures Jeník to sign a contract stating that he will give up Mařenka and offers him a hefty payment to go away. Jeník agrees to sign the contract but insists on an extra clause that Mařenka must marry “Míka’s son.” Kecal eagerly pays him off, believing he’s secured the match with Vašek. The village reproaches Jeník for his betrayal. Vašek is further distracted when a travelling circus arrives, and he becomes smitten with the dancer Esmeralda. 

When Míka and Vašek’s mother Háta arrive with Kecal, Vašek refuses to marry Mařenka but changes his mind when he realises the charming stranger who warned him off was Mařenka herself. Mařenka is heartbroken by Jeník’s apparent treachery. The village, Kecal, her parents, and even Jeník himself pressure her to accept Vašek. With no other options, Mařenka faces an impossible choice. Just as she is about to give in, Jeník reveals his plan: he is actually Míka’s long-lost son from his first marriage. By the terms of the contract Kecal drafted so carefully, Mařenka must marry “Míka’s son” – and that son is Jeník himself. Kecal has been outwitted by his own document. Vašek gladly abandons any claim to Mařenka, Jeník is reconciled with his father, and both sets of parents agree to the match. The lovers are united, Kecal is outplayed, and the village rejoices in the triumph of love and wit.