Original title
Král Šumavy
Released
12/9/2022
Origin country
CZ
Genre
Crime, Drama
Production companies
Lucky Man Films, Voyo
Status
Returning series
Number of seasons
2
Number of episodes
9
It is the spring of 1948. The joy of peace has not yet faded, and both East and West are already afraid of World War III. Both worlds are separated from each other by the deep forests of Šumava. Twenty-four-year-old cook Josef Hasil serves in the kitchen of the National Security Corps in Zvonková. Wild boy. He had already experienced the war in a German labor camp and as a link between partisans. Now he longs above all for fun, adventure, freedom. The last thing he cares about is politics.
It's a few years after the war, and the Šumava region resembles the Wild West - a no man's land, an El Dorado of adventurers, secret agents, smugglers, and border runners. A restless district patrolled by policemen and border guards trying to impose the rules of the new regime. It draws dramatic fates like a magnet. But one stands out. Twenty-four-year-old Josef Hasil first helps guard the border in the uniform of the National Security Corps, only to become, after February 1948, its most feared opponent - later dubbed by the secret police as the King of the Šumava. In the deep forests, in the marshes, but also in interrogation rooms and prison camps, a gripping story unfolds.
It is the spring of 1948. The joy of peace has not yet faded, but the Cold War is already fully impacting the relations between the East and the West. Deep Šumava forests separate the two blocs. Twenty-four-year-old cook Josef Hasil serves in the kitchen of the National Security Corps in Zvonková. Despite his young age, he has already experienced a lot. He’s been through a German labor camp and worked with partisans. Now, he primarily longs for fun, adventure, and freedom, with politics being the last thing on his mind.
CIC agent Klára entrusts Hasil with a difficult task: 'You will lead the armed partisans across. If you fail, everyone you care about will suffer.' Hasil picks up the thrown gauntlet. 'If I see them first, they won’t catch me…' The King of the Šumava comes to life.
In the morning, I’ll lead people across the border, at noon there’s a wedding, and then we’ll dance and drink until morning. I can handle that no problem. No tree grows to the heavens - only the one whose roots reach into hell. The story of the King of the Šumava reaches its climax. The noose is tightening.
In the second season, viewers will follow the never-ending struggle of Josef Hasil as he searches for a way out of the communist labor camp where he has been sentenced to nine long years, as well as the story of his beloved Marie. Her love for the King of the Šumava will be put to severe tests. Not only must she endure interrogations and the contempt of neighbors - and even her own father - but she also finds herself surrounded by men who would prefer she forget about Josef entirely. Josef must escape the camp as quickly as possible, before there’s no one left to return to. The season will also follow Hasil’s fate after he escapes to Germany and becomes an agent for Western intelligence.
In prison, Hasil is given an ultimatum: Either he betrays his old friends, or he will never return home. Meanwhile, the pressure on his pregnant fiancée, Marie, intensifies in the Šumava region, as they try to force her to find another suitor. Hasil must escape from prison as soon as possible, while there is still someone to return to.
Hasil is serving a nine-year sentence in the mines, where he loses strength every day. He tries to come up with an escape plan and convince his fellow prisoners to risk their lives for freedom. Meanwhile, at Marie’s home, an unexpected person knocks on the door, asking for help.
Hasil returns to the Šumava region. He wants to find his loved ones and get them out of Czechoslovakia. However, the SNB crew is on full alert, waiting for Hasil to walk into their trap. Marie knows well that escaping with Hasil could bring freedom - but also death. She must decide if she has the courage to take that risk.
Hasil has made it to the West, but in the refugee camp, he is half a prisoner. He has only one option to return to Czechoslovakia - to become an agent for the American intelligence service. But he must act quickly, as Marie has a new serious suitor.
Hasil is ready to take Marie to the West, but the situation is becoming more complicated. There’s a traitor in his group of agents, and until they are exposed, crossing the border isn’t safe. Meanwhile, in the Šumava region, Hasil’s family is being dragged through interrogations, and it’s only a matter of time before someone breaks.
Hasil crosses the border one last time to finally take Marie and his son with him. However, the border guards know everything and launch an extensive operation with only one goal: to kill Josef Hasil. The final battle worthy of the true King of the Šumava begins.
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