Smoke on the Potato Fields

A wary outsider returning to his homeland who takes a job as a rural physician. He initially keeps his distance, values medical records, and gradually earns the villagers’ trust as he tends to both serious and ordinary ailments. His quiet melancholy hints at a longing for a past self and a better integration into village life.

A schoolteacher and neighbor who becomes a friend to Meluzin. She embodies warmth, domesticity, and pragmatic strength, providing meals and a sense of home. Her relationship with her husband contributes to the village’s tension over fertility and intimate life.

Pavla's husband; initially suspicious of Meluzin and of domestic changes. He embodies rural skepticism about outsiders and medical intervention, and his personal struggles with fertility contribute to the village’s tense dynamics.

A pregnant young woman who becomes a focal point for personal and moral decisions. Her situation tests Meluzin’s ethics regarding abortion and the responsibilities of a doctor within a village community.

An eccentric, reclusive figure whose home and future are threatened by infrastructure plans. Her protective stance toward her daughter intensifies the story’s conflict and tests Meluzin’s role in the community.

A village resident connected to the ambulance service, illustrating the practical, day-to-day realities of rural medicine and communal support during crises.

Dr. Meluzin’s wife, whose absence underscores the personal costs of his return and the emotional undercurrents of his re-engagement with home life.

The village gravedigger who merges into the quiet, contemplative atmosphere of the community and its rituals of memory and mortality.