Alex is an 11-year old boy who, during WWII, hides in the Jewish ghetto from Nazis after all his relatives have been sent to the concentration camp. The movie portrays the ghetto through his eyes.
Irena, a postal delivery worker, is struggling with inadequate housing, a drunk neighbor who wants to take her place, and a heartless boss, knowing that the whole day at work, she is leaving her young son. But the worst is the loneliness, exacerbated by her single mother status. She meets a crippled pensioner Jacek, who appears to be the key to her happiness, but tragedy continues to strike.
Jan, the café pianist, comes from the countryside. The talented boy was taken care of by an old organist. Jan then studied at the conservatory, where he made friends with Paweł, an undisciplined but very talented composer. Paweł's works gain publicity abroad, but he himself, unable to bear human envy and accept the loss of his beloved girl, commits suicide ... Jan's father dies, and soon his mother ...
