[3] The film tells the story of a small town which, until World War II, belonged to the Second Polish Republic Eastern region of Kresy.

On 11 July 1943, a group of Ukrainian nationalists slaughtered the 60 to 90 Polish worshipers inside the Kisielin Catholic church, and set it on fire.

The film is not only a story about the murdered Poles of Kisielin, it is also a reflection on the eradication of Polish culture and tradition in the entire region, and the painful legacy that lingers.

As a result, Poles in Poland who wish to thank those righteous today,[9] try to avoid listing their names on inscriptions and on monuments in fear of reprisal.

On that Sunday, the OUN-UPA death squads aided by local peasants simultaneously attacked over 100 Polish settlements within the Wołyń Voivodeship.

[8][10] In 2003, the Presidents of Poland and Ukraine, Aleksander Kwaśniewski and Leonid Kuchma, paid homage to the victims of ethnic cleansing when they met in Poryck (now Pawliwka).