Orphan Jirka lives with his grandfather - the ferryman, in a secluded place by the river. He spends all of his free time by the water and even trains a carp to swim to him when he whistles. Jirka is a loner and sometimes shows off in front of the boys from the village. They repay him for his behaviour by making fun of him. One day, Jirka spots a pike in the river. He wants to catch it himself, but doesn't manage to. The second try doesn't succeed either. Jirka asks his grandpa to lend him the fishing rod to catch the pike, but his grandpa refuses. Jirka gets angry with the grandfather for this, and runs away to his uncle, who is a woodcutter in the nearby forest. He hears from his uncle how much his grandfather loves him, and how many things he does for him. Jirka understands that his behaviour and his bragging were stupid. And, when he sets off to fish the next day with his uncle's rod, he gladly accepts the help from the village boys. He also acknowledges that everyone has an equal credit in the catch.
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