Considered Agnieszka Holland’s most mature work, the film adaptation of Andrzej Strug’s novel “Dzieje jednego pocisku” tells the story of revolutionaries from the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) who conspire to assassinate a much-hated General-Governor. The film is memorable for actors’ outstanding performances.
A chemist is commissioned by the Combat Organisation of the Polish Socialist Party to create a bomb equipped with a special detonator. A young girl Kama collects the bomb. The chemist is arrested. Members of the combat organisation rescue Leon when he is transported through the streets of Warsaw. Leon finds refuge at Kama’s where he makes contact with the Combat Organisation. They plan to assassinate a Russian General- Governor who is expected to attend a charity fair in Warsaw. Kama agrees to do the job despite the fact that it means a certain death. She is to throw the bomb. On the day of the bazaar, she strolls around in a smart dress and with a bomb in a ribbon-wrapped box. Leon and Kamil keep her company. The General fails to show up. An incredible emotional strain and the experience of staring death in the face push Kama over the edge of sanity. She ends up in a mental asylum. The bomb is hidden in the village, at the house of Kiełza who is a PPS supporter and farmer. The revolutionary spirit wanes as the terror campaign by the Russian authorities escalates. Kamil, who blames Leon for Kama’s descent into madness, denounces his former comrade. Kiełza arrives in Warsaw with a bomb. In the street, he runs into a shackled Leon. Kiełza is determined to take part in an action by the resistance movement. Eventually, he falls victim of a sting and gets arrested. He refuses to reveal the location of the bomb and is sentenced to death. He shares the bomb’s whereabouts with anarchist Gryziak. Having located the bomb, Gryziak kills the agent provocateur who put Kiełza in prison. Gryziak attempts to detonate the bomb in the headquarters of the Russian secret police force Okhrana. Unfortunately, the bomb fails to explode. Police officers kill Gryziak. Soldiers from the bomb squad detonate the bomb at the bank of Vistula river.
