A ruminative, understated drama on the nature of overwork versus an "unachieving" life away from the city, Pelnia examines the experience of one man. After leaving his high-pressured existence as a successful architect, the newly resolved dropout goes to live in a small community of cabins and summer homes in a lake-filled region north of Warsaw. His interactions with the villagers, including a drunkard and other eccentrics, provide an informative background for what happens next. The ex-architect's wife is a professional singer who has not abandoned the city or her life -- and she soon arrives to spend some time with her very changed husband.
"The Dancing Hawk" refers to the son of a peasant who senses he can climb to the job in troubled times by playing his cards right. His slavery to work match his ambitions, and gradually he reaches the social position he desires. But the costs have included a dehumanized soul and a loss of a moral conscience. People have had to pay for his advancement, including those nearest to him. The downfall is equally painful: either imprisonment or the easy wasy out are offered as the alternatives.
