Two young men from a town near Łódź attack and rob a taxi driver. Unsatisfied with the loot, they make their escape from the authorities across Poland.
The action takes place in the Polish countryside in the second half of the 19th century. The main character is a few months old Staś, son of the blacksmith Józef and Małgorzata, from whose perspective we see the conflict of his parents with the local organist.