The story of Władek – a country boy who is fascinated by acting and who relentlessly pursues his goals. Theater and performing are is meaning of life.
Władek Seretny prepares for the entrance exam for theater school. He’s made fun of because he’s from the country. The committee rejects his application, stating his facial features aren’t distinctive enough and that he suffers from lockjaw. His education and manners are deemed insufficient. The boy doesn’t admit failure upon returning home. His father helps his get a place to sleep at Karol Owsiański’s homestay. He spends day after day training to improve his pronunciation. He babysits his teacher’s kids in return for tutoring. He is thrown out of the homestay for returning late. The train driver Sobański takes him in despite having little room to spare. Władek gets hired as a courier in the theater. He gets to know the people, from students to professors. He learns the rules that govern promotions. A rejected homosexual director throws him out of auditions for the role of Konrad in Wyspiański’s “Wyzwolenie”. He gets in an argument with the manager and loses his job. He gets back in touch with his old teacher and learns how to interpret texts. Władek’s father dies and the farm is taken over by the state. The boy is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but the professor stops him from throwing away all the progress he’s made. A chance acquaintance – Jola, who took the entrance exams with him helps him enter theatrical society once more. Władek takes the exams once more.
