When the communist government raises food prices in 1962, the rebellious workers from the small industrial town of Novocherkassk go on strike. The massacre which then ensues is seen through the eyes of a devout party activist.
The story of Basia and Tadeusz, a Polish couple going through a crisis, living in the huge house of Magda Lipińska, Tadeusz's mother. Magda is a domineering mother-in-law who strives for perfection both in business and family matters. Thanks to Basia and Tadeusz, refugees arrive at Magda's house: two Ukrainian women, Anna and little Waria, which turns the protagonist's world upside down.
