An ambitious, enthusiastic young geologist is entangled in bureaucratic red tape when he tries to drill for oil. Frustrated with the situation, he torches an abandoned mill, ignores his girlfriend, and fights with his friends who do not share his exuberance about the project.
Settlers from various parts of Poland come to the Vistula Spit just after WWII. They are learning the difficult profession of fishing. The skipper Bosak and his wife are doing the best, but their peace is broken when their cousin Joanna comes to them, for whom the skipper loses his head .
