The adopted children of Samuil-batsa from the remote village of Shaflary in the Lower Tatras have a strange gift: people are like people, but they have abilities that a person should not have. They are thieves, but not those who cut off passers-by’s wallets or clean houses at night, but those who steal thoughts, aspirations, skills and knowledge from other people. Samuel's adopted children have settled well in life: Jan is the abbot of the Tynets Benedictine monastery, and will soon be his bishop; Teresa is the wife of a wealthy merchant; Pan Michal is a governor in the count's castle, he married for love, and he is a noble swordsman, such as were in great demand in the turbulent 17th century. But things didn’t work out with the youngest, Martha...