[1] It was entered into the 38th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear for an outstanding single achievement.
Lucja sons turn to Communism and hold ardent meetings in their apartment, with their mother's blessing.
After the war, the Communists take power in Poland - but rather than being rewarded for his loyal service, the son Klemens is inexplicably arrested, and without any foundation the new regime accuses him of having been a collaborator.
His brother Wiktor, who now holds a senior position in the Communist Party, tries to defend him - but then himself falls into disgrace.
Klemens undergoes torture in order to extract a false "confession" but dies in prison, a Communist to the end.