As high school students put on a politically-engaged school play, tensions begin to rise between them and their headmaster. The conflict seems to mirror the social situation in the 1980s Poland.
Two old friends meet at a mountain shelter and remember their teenage years. Midroń and Świdrycki are mature, intelligent men, experiencing a crisis of faith in the meaning of life, in their abilities, as well as fear of death. The next day, their wives join them. Although they have not had the opportunity to get to know each other so far, they become friends very quickly.