Political party man Bednarz is made responsible for the construction of a big chemical factory in the small town where he previously lived. However, building the factory conflicts with the desires of the locals, who become increasingly concerned with what can be done for them in the here and now.

Krzysztof Kieślowski’s confident feature debut is a social docudrama that looks at the provincial turmoil of rural Poland, while assessing the post-war moods of a whole country. Starring his soon-to-become regular Jerzy Stuhr, and a very young Agnieszka Holland.