A Czech fairy tale about a princess named Lada who runs away from home in a mouse-fur disguise in order to escape an unwanted, forced marriage.

Based on the novel by Karel Capek, the prominent Czech writer of the early 20th century who coined the word robot for his play R.U.R., the story revolves around a discovery of Krakatit - a powerful explosive - by Prokop, an experimental scientist who, following an accidental explosion in his lab, slips in and out of delirium. When he realises that, in a delirious period, he has given the formula for making Krakatit to one of his colleagues, he tries to find the man, who does not realize how dangerous a thing Krakatit is. In the process, he nearly gives his discovery away again to foreign interests, a group of anarchists, and even greater forces of darkness...

未来的2163年。人类的40名成员驾驶超光速宇宙飞船飞出太阳系，他们的目的地是阿尔法星人马座。在那里找寻是否有和人类一样的生命存在。完成任务后，将经过15年的飞行返回地球。 但是旅程中却碰到了意想不到的情况……　　《Ikarie XB 1》拍摄于1963年。当时库布里克没有拍出《2001：太空漫游》，人类还没有登上月球。富有想象力的东欧电影人就对宇宙中是否存在除人类以外的生命的问题作出了大胆假想，并在实践中寻找了。本片是捷克斯洛伐克的第一部科幻电影，影片改编自波兰著名的科幻作家 斯坦尼斯拉夫·莱姆的小说《麦哲伦星云》（“Magellan Cloud” ）。