One night in 1950 a passenger train runs over a man, who turns out to be the veteran train engineer Władysław Orzechowski, knows for his old ways and stern demeanor. As the inquiry panel tries to deduce why would a man like Orzechowski jump in front of a moving train several of the people involved in the case are interrogated, each telling their own version of the story. Can the panel arrive at the truth in a world where workers unite, inferior coal is a badge of honor, and the old order is suspect?
Tells two tales set during WWII: A seemingly feckless and selfish man finally takes up arms in the national struggle against the Nazis. Set in a POW camp, Polish inmates cling to their hopes for an eventual escape, encouraged by the legendary escape of one of their own.
Wacław Orzeszko is unlucky soldier, who one day decides to desert his platoon and hide out in a castle, where he meets a Red Army soldier Marusia. They discover that a German platoon is also hiding in a castle and together they must stop the Nazi soldiers from reuniting with the main army.
