The story takes place in the second half of the 1950s. A young journalist wants to establish himself in his profession and sort out his personal life, but he is unable to distance himself from the grim events he witnesses. He manages to get a job at a popular newspaper. The editor-in-chief sends him to a village near Warsaw, which is to be absorbed by the city, to write a report on the civilizational changes taking place there. The journalist learns the story of a young prisoner awaiting execution on death row and becomes involved in the convict's case.