The Bohemian-Polish borderlands, 17th century. Noblewoman Katuše returns from abroad to save her failing family estate. Her plan? To equalise women’s wages. But she clashes against her ruling father-in-law, Spytihněv, who masterfully turns a revolt of starving serfs into a battle of the sexes. He brands women who are not “perfect servants” as witches and begins sentencing them to be burned at the stake. Katuše’s sister Lada, an herbal healer, becomes a prime candidate for the penalty. Katuše attempts not only to save her, but also to emancipate the people around her. Just when Katuše’s efforts seem to have failed, her courage lights the spark of an unexpected uprising. Women and men alike come to see through the tyrant’s lies and, instead of turning on each other, finally decide together to “torch” the system that has been devouring them.