A faithful screen adaptation of a short story of the same title by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz about a tragic love affair between a countryside teacher and a tuberculosis patient at a sanatorium, set in a poetic atmosphere of sadness and melancholy.
In a tuberculosis sanatorium in the village of Marona, Ola, a teacher in a local school, meets two patients, Janek and Arek. The men start fighting for her affection. Ola chooses Janek and due to their affair they become the talk of the village. In autumn, Janek is expelled from the sanatorium on account of breach of discipline. The headmaster of Ola's school accuses her of indecency, which causes her to quit her job. The two lovers try to start a new life. They move into a rented room. In winter, Janek's health suddenly deteriorates. When he suffers an attack, Ola goes out to get some medicine. After returning home, she finds Janek's wife by his bed. Alone and penniless, she leaves the room.
