In the winter of 1943 two young Jews, Alek and Fryda, escape, via sewer tunnels, from the atrocities underway in Warsaw ghetto. Alek, entrusted with undeveloped photos of the horrors within, makes his way to a supposedly safe apartment only to find it occupied by Germans. Another tenant, a pole Stephania, abruptly offers to shelter him in her spacious apartment. She comforts him and they make love that very night. Stefania is uncommonly generous and willing to jeopardize her own safety by hiding a Jew. She even goes to a nearby church and rescues Fryda. But Fryda is ungrateful and proceeds to sabotage the trio's safety in insidious ways.

A well-regarded engineer in a big enterprise is hounded by trumped up attacks on his integrity when he delves too deeply into how bonuses are handled by the management. He gets into an argument with the guard, is arrested and subsequently fired. An old friend, a journalist, tries to sort things out but the victim's stubbornness and past problems with his wife lead to lossess by both.

The well-known actor, Michael Barczewski, returns after a long break to the stage. He tells reporter the story of Jack Burda, a young promising actor who took his profession a bit too serious and played his own death...

The well-known actor, Michael Barczewski, returns after a long break to the stage. He tells reporter the story of Jack Burda, a young promising actor who took his profession a bit too serious and played his own death...

Realistic depiction of the Polish martial law in 1981. John Malecki is a young actor with good career prospects in a Warsaw theater, preparing to play Hamlet, his dream role. John plans to go to Sweden. Any involvement with the new Solidarnośc movement might put his visa to Sweden at risk. But staying neutral in these times is not an easy task.

Realistic depiction of the Polish martial law in 1981. John Malecki is a young actor with good career prospects in a Warsaw theater, preparing to play Hamlet, his dream role. John plans to go to Sweden. Any involvement with the new Solidarnośc movement might put his visa to Sweden at risk. But staying neutral in these times is not an easy task.

On an ordinary winter's day, various people from outside Warsaw come to the Polish capital city for different reasons. They all have something to deal with, and their paths eventually intertwine.

The story begins in March of 1968, the days of students protests. A hot- headed student protests the Dean's decision to expell a fellow student on fake accusation charges, upon which he drops out of university rather than make a compromise. He loses everything in the process: his girlfriend, housing privileges - he becomes a coal deliverer. On the job he witnesses an accident that causes death of a fellow worker. He decides to write a story, which is good and a publishing house wants to print it, but only after some corrections are made. He refuses again and the story is not printed. Finally, a story is commercialized and made into a succesful film and brings fame to the original author.

The story begins in March of 1968, the days of students protests. A hot- headed student protests the Dean's decision to expell a fellow student on fake accusation charges, upon which he drops out of university rather than make a compromise. He loses everything in the process: his girlfriend, housing privileges - he becomes a coal deliverer. On the job he witnesses an accident that causes death of a fellow worker. He decides to write a story, which is good and a publishing house wants to print it, but only after some corrections are made. He refuses again and the story is not printed. Finally, a story is commercialized and made into a succesful film and brings fame to the original author.