At home, Hans Böhm speaks French, German, and Czech because his parents and the maids come from different linguistic backgrounds. But at the camp, where he loves to go, they tell him that Germans are the best, and the others are inferior. He has his best friends there, especially Karel. They even play in a band together! The youthful Sudeten "Švejk" suddenly has to go to war, and his mind is in a complete mess. But the times are unforgiving – decisions have to be made right away. And his choices could mean life or death for him and for the people he meets. Good thing he knows languages! Especially Czech! Such an obscure language, but it could help him narrowly escape capture and death… A non-hero from a small town in western Bohemia (Holýšov) struggles through war-torn Central Europe, and his situation doesn't stop getting more complicated even after the war…

What shapes us? What are we capable of when driven by the instinct for self-preservation? How strong are our internal moral imperatives?

This performance is inspired by a true story and was created as part of the European project Connect Up, led by the new artistic director Tomsa Legierski and dramaturg Petra Kosová. The creative team also includes set designer Karel Czech, who has been collaborating regularly with ALFA Theatre in recent years.