A story of a sensitive teenager Emil’s first love, set in the provincial atmosphere of a small Czech town at the beginning of the 20th century. Five girls—the strict local doctor’s daughters—make the governor’s son experience his first emotional upheavals, which end in deep disappointment.
The title is formed by the initial letters of the five doctor Ganselin’s daughters’ names—Gelena, Lida, Maria, Dora, Emma. In 1993, the novel was adapted into a film directed by Jaromil Jireš.