The Buryja family is a troubled one. The two half-brothers, Ã… teva and Laca, are at odds: handsome but irresponsible Ã… teva has inherited most of the family property (notably a valuable mill), along with a favored position in the family’s affections. Laca is further depressed by the hopelessness of his love for Jenůfa , stepdaughter of the KostelniÄÂka, the stern leader of the Moravian town in which they live. Jenůfa loves Ã… teva and is pregnant by him, a fact still hidden from everyone else. Sensing that marriage has little part in Ã… teva’s thoughts and fearing that her lover will be drafted, Jenůfa is on the verge of panic.