Unconventional pedagogical methods of a new teacher raise concerns of the provincial school's principal.

Chevalier de Charentes goes to Poland on a double mission.

Ludwik starts one of the best high schools in Krakow. His life changes with a growing storm of conflicting emotions. First love infatuations, sexual contacts, a rebellion against unjust authorities and the desire to imitate his idol, Marek, an older boy who who fought in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.