The first Polish screen adaptation of Juliusz Słowacki's drama, directed by Gustaw Holoubek.
The provincial governor marries the young Amelia. King Jan Kazimierz himself arrives in his castle as a guest together with his closest entourage. Among them is Cossack Mazepa, the king's page, who is hugely impressed by Amelia's beauty. The woman is also admired by Zbigniew, the provincial governor's son from his first marriage. At night, Zbigniew wounds a man creeping to Amelia's bedroom. He is convinced it was Mazepa, but in reality it was the king, wearing the cloak and hat of his page. Mazepa reads a letter in which the king orders his men to kidnap Amelia and lock him in a tower. He decides to warn her and heads to her alcove. The provincial governor goes there too after hearing about Mazepa's visit from his servant. He has Amelia's alcove walled up, with the rest of the room turned into a chapel for the king. Amelia is locked up in a dungeon. Meanwhile, the king's intervention saves his page, who has been walled up in the alcove. Mazepa challenges the provincial governor to a duel. Zbigniew offers to take his father's place; he proposes a pistol duel. The duel ends in his death. Furious, the provincial governor throws his son's blood-stained shirt at Amelia's face. Mazepa tells her the truth about Zbigniew's suicide. Amelia is unwell; she reveals that she has poisoned herself. Shortly afterwards, she dies. Mazepa shouts the truth about his wife and son being in love with each other to the provincial governor's face. The provincial governor's men grab him, strip him of his clothes and tie him to a horse. The provincial governor takes his own life with a dagger.
