In 1668 Polish colonel Michael Wolodyjowski, who recently retired to a monastery, is recalled to active duty and takes charge of Poland's eastern frontier defenses against invading Tatar hordes and Ottoman armies.
A criminal mastermind responsible for a failed robbery and an accidental petty conman meet inside a prison carriage. Soon they are both going to hear the court verdict.
Joanna's parents run a clothes shop. Big, hidden income does not allow them to sleep peacefully, they strive for the daughter to marry artist-painter or herself became an artist, because only such profession in Poland allows decent income.