Rússia, 1870. Um grupo de jovens revolucionários anarquistas se propôs a derrubar o regime czarista através da violência. Seus ataques criam um clima de psicose e desconfiança mútua entre a população, mas na realidade, tanto revolucionários quanto repressores estão sendo manipulados por um indivíduo diabólico.
A violinist in a provincial Polish orchestra, whose husband is the director of the ensemble, on a visit to the US ties up with the world- renowned symphony conductor. As it turns out he was once in love with violinist's mother. The conductor, a slightly unstable hypochondriac, returns to Poland to lead the provincial orchestra. He also tries to revive old love affair using the violinist as a surrogate of her mother. Her husband is resentful of the conductor for both personal and professional reasons.
