A group of Polish boys is opposed to a German teacher who aims to Germanise the young men.

The end of the 1930s. Wilek Lizoń, a true-blue Silesian, together with his troupe of actors and circus performers, stages a play in the courtyards of miners' tenement houses. The main character is Franciszek Buła, a figure from folk tales. Buła's story begins during the Silesian Uprisings. The courtyard artists present vivid images of Frank's school years, his work in the mine, his communist activities, his imprisonment, and his constant poverty. Fantasy mixes with reality.