[2] The backdrop of the novel is the First Balkan War of 1912, and the protagonists are Poles (including pilots Colonel Zadorski and Captain Zabiełła, as well as Polish female doctors) from the Austrian partition.
A reviewer in 1913 summarized the plot as follows:[4]We have here a volunteer aerial fleet unit that sets off from Paris with Colonel Zadorski and Captain Zabiełła at the helm to perform intelligence service for the allied army.
[1] The reviewer praised the book, writing, "Alongside heroic deeds, a grim picture of war unfolds before the readers, revealing the unleashed instincts driven by the desire for revenge for centuries-old wrongs.
The reviewer found the novel "colorful", but considered the overall concept to be "less fortunate", stating, "The images of the terrible Balkan wars... will not soon be a suitable subject for a Christmas tale for Polish children.
"[6] In 1973, Krystyna Kuliczkowska [pl] criticized the novel, writing that it did not measure up to Umiński's previous works on similar themes and that "the main plot is lost in a sensational spy scandal... the whole concept is disjointed and implausible."