The script is based on memoirs of Edward Kozieł titled "Wspomnienia wędrownego kramarza". Filled with good-hearted humor, the nostalgic and sentimental film tells the story of a stallholder who travels from village to village and for whom trade and being constantly on the road are the sense of his existence. It is also an in-depth portrayal of the countryside, its nature and ways, which will soon fade into the past.
While on trial, stallholder Chruścik tells the judge the story of his life. Before the war, he suffered hunger. During the occupation, he became a forced labourer. After the war, his dream was to have a small house of his own. To fulfil it, he took up various jobs. When thanks to his hard work he almost managed to raise enough money, a monetary reform stripped him of the majority of his savings. After that, Chruścik became a distributor of a Catholic magazine. He was doing such a good job that the editor-in-chief had to fire him because he could not cope with the soaring sales. He then started raising pigs in a leased barn, but had to sell all of them after a tax inspector imposed a huge tax on him. Eventually, Chruścik decided to become a stallholder. He set up his stall in front of churches, as well as at religious and secular fairs. Thanks to his talent and determination, he eventually managed to save up a large sum of money. Having his own house was still his dream. In his naivety and ingenuousness, he let his friend Zawadzki persuade him to start a business together. They were supposed to invest in a taxi. Chruścik gave Zawadzki his money in return for a bill of exchange, which was later treacherously taken away from him and destroyed by his business partner. Chruścik's private life was also far from successful. Stallholder Maria left him for Jurek, a beggar who got quite rich practicing his trade. The shy and unsociable Chruścik became a scapegoat for the crimes of other stallholders. Before an inspection, they stole his trade licence and planted illegal goods in his stall. Chruścik went to trial and had his licence revoked. However, he could not live without trading and had since been selling his goods illegally.
