The Devil's Wall (Czech: Čertova stěna) is a comic-romantic opera in three acts, with music by Bedřich Smetana and libretto by Eliška Krásnohorská, in their third operatic collaboration.
He reworked the plot such that he turned the young girl, Hedvika, into a surrogate for Lord Vok's late first wife, and the story became more serious in that aspect.
The premiere was not successful, with difficulties including the staging and the wildly conflicting appearance of two singers whose characters were supposed to resemble each other.
In spite of the tensions between librettist and composer, Krásnohorská attended the premiere and defended Smetana, to the point of keeping silent on criticism directed towards the libretto, of the changes which she herself did not sanction.
Girls with scythes come in from the harvest to greet her (Chorus) and Jarek appears, but Katuška holds back, thinking that as she is from a simple family she is not worthy of a knight.
Jarek and Rarach join the same plea, and the demon tells Vok that the castle steward has a captivating daughter.
Michálek is indignant, but Vok joines the hands of Katuška and Jarek, promising a wedding in the new Vyšší Brod monastery, (Arioso).
On Rarach's advice, Vok sends for the orphan, but before leaving, he explains that he once loved the mistress of Šauenburk, but she cast him off and married another.
Jarek is hoping to pray, fast and make pilgrimage to fulfill his affection, but his passion for Katuška gnaws at him (Aria).
Vok appears to Jarek to welcome him back to his castle, but Záviš comes to announce with enthusiasm the arrival of Hedvika (Aria).
Hedvika enters, wearing the medallion left her mother, on which Vok instantly recognizes his unrequited love (Aria).
Everyone is angry at the hermit who instigated the idea and convinces Vok not to give up the blessing of love and service of his homeland.
Village lads with willow meals catch up with them claiming they would be unfaithful for a pot of gold (Men's chorus).
Rarach stops them and gets them to build a wall across the valley, so that the waters of the Vltava will flood the monastery and drown Vok and Beneš (Aria).
Hedvika appears, escaping from Záviš, and she sees the monastery, but also the danger of the disaster of which Vok is unaware and she wants to warn him.
Jarek tries to keep her from the dangerous path and to warn Vok himself, but Hedvika persists and they climb to the devil's wall together while from the bank Katuška prays for their protection.
While Vok only perceives that Hedvika came to him, Beneš curses the devil's work and the wall collapses, Rarach's power runs away, the storm abates.