A Polish writer is arrested by the Nazis in 1942 and sent to the notorious Pawiak prison in Warsaw. He will spend the next 111 days fighting for survival.

The film depicts three days in the life of a state farm director, during which he celebrates his 40th birthday. He was adopted by four godfathers who have helped him throughout his life and have reached positions of prominence themselves. He makes a mistake at work turning away some foreigh investors and is required to cover the losses, but even his godfathers are unable to help him. He regains affection of his son instead.

1982, Poland. A translator loses her husband and becomes a victim of her own sorrow. She looks to sex, to her son, to law, and to hypnotism when she has nothing else in this time of martial law when Solidarity was banned.

Marta comes to Lublin as a captain of the Polish Army. She is looking for information about her son - Stefan, whom she last saw years ago, when she went with her husband to fighting Spain.