It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.

The Wilanów ferry leaves from Świnoujście to Hamburg with a trip around the Baltic cities.

However, its participants are only interested in the first port on the route - Hamburg, where almost all plan to leave the ship and stay in the West.

In one of the last scenes, on the empty ferry calling at the port, there are only those who could not escape - the crew, a few passengers and a dog.

The plot of the film is interwoven with the story of a high school teacher, Marek Ziarno, whose task is to smuggle important documents related to NSZZ Solidarność to the West and its duel with Służba Bezpieczeństwa (secret service) agents on the ferry who tried to prevent it.