Zachvev strachu

After the bloody suppression of the Prague Revolution in 1848, one of its participants, the writer Frantisek Vinicky, spent eight years in prison. After returning to Prague in 1857, Vinicky is practically followed at every step by the Austrian secret police, who will not allow him to get a decent job, let alone publish his new book. Police advisor Berger makes it clear to the writer that a lot could be arranged if Vinicky would commit to cooperating.