[1][4] The story represents both an idyllic view of life in a Polish country manor house, and at the same time an idealistic preoccupation with the patriotic duties of the soldier, the military virtues of courage, bravery, and readiness to take up arms against any enemy of the nation, and the importance of family honor.

It presents in its opening scenes the obvious conflict between those patriotic aspirations on the one hand, and every man's desire for a quiet home life, love and marriage, on the other.

An English language version of The Haunted Manor was created in 1970 by translator Dr. George Conrad working with opera singer and singing teacher Mollie Petrie.

The world premiere of this English version was given by the University of Bristol Operatic Society in 1970, which caused some excitement in the Polish expatriate community in England.

[1] In April 2009, a new English translation by Donald Pippin, funded by the National Endowment of the Arts, was presented by Pocket Opera in San Francisco.

It is New Year's Eve and, inside the "haunted" manor, Miecznik's daughters Hanna and Jadwiga are preparing for the customary fortune-telling to determine who will be their future husbands.

Miecznik looks on indulgently and then explains to the assembled crowd that the type of husband he seeks for his daughters is brave, a soldier and a patriot, mindful of customs and traditions – a description that Damazy does not measure up to.

Damazy, anxious to eliminate his potential rivals, has the same idea and involves Skołuba, who had hoped to take credit for killing the boar and now resents the brothers' presence, in his plan.

The visitors retire to bed, the brothers in one room and Maciej in another, where Skołuba points out two life-size portraits of fine ladies, and a clock, all of which have magic properties.

Damazy comes out from his hiding place and, to save his skin, invents a story (told to another fine tune) that the house is known as the 'Haunted Manor' as a result of it having been built with the proceeds of some infamous acts.

Envious mothers with unmarried daughters who lived nearby grew to refer to the manor as "haunted" as it obviously had magic powers.