Tomas, a serial philanderer, after being divorced from his first wife believes in strictly erotic friendships. But when he meets Tereza he breaks his rule and soon they get married. Though he loves her, he can’t stop continuing his erotic friendships with other women, much to Tereza’s dismay.
One of these friends is Sabina who is a painter. She helps Tereza get a job developing pictures. And when she wanted to pursue photography, Sabina gave her monographs of famous photographs and helped her understand what makes them so great. Under her tutelage, Tereza was promoted from darkroom to a professional photographer.
Feeling lost - just another body - in Tomas’s circus of women, Tereza decides to accompany Tomas in his erotic encounters so that it can be Tomas and Tereza against them. Tomas refuses and Tereza decides to go to Sabina’s studio alone, disturbed by the recurring nightmare of Tomas and Sabina making love there. Tereza offers to take Sabina's photographs. After some photos, she asks Sabina for some nude shots and Sabina later reciprocates by asking Tereza to strip for her pictures. This pseudo-erotic encounter quickly disperses in laughter.
Once Russia invades Czechoslovakia, like other photographers, Tereza too starts recording the atrocities and crimes of Russia through her lens. But as she quickly realizes in Switzerland, where they have migrated to escape the dismal state of affairs, her country’s destruction is dated. It is no longer a topic of interest for the rest of the world. Tereza, feeling lonely in a foreign country, comes back to Czechoslovakia and Tomas follows her, knowing well that they won’t be able to leave again. Following the publication of Tomas’s article, he ends up losing his job and they both move to the countryside where they rekindle their love for each other and die together.
