As so often before in history, Poland is divided by hostile neighbours. It is 1944, German-occupied Warsaw and the Uprising has collapsed. Many of the young freedom fighters who had fought so courageously for 63 days - guns against tanks - escape hidden among thousands of Polish refugees being deported by the Germans. Their fate is, as yet, unknown. Within this group emerges Marcin Warsaw is in ruins and shortly before their violent separation, Wiska, gives Marcin a token of her love: a 'horse -hair ring' inset with a tiny crowned eagle - a symbol of a free and united Poland. She vanishes from his life, but her memory and the ring remains. In hopeless solitude, he is rescued by Janina (Adrianna Biedrzynska). Her unrequited love for him never falters but, in the end, becomes her downfall - she is guilty only of having loved him. The Germans have now retreated, enabling the Russians to take over Warsaw, on their way to Berlin. Our young heroes now face a second enemy. Trapped within a growing web of intrigue and betrayal, Marcin is considered a traitor by his friends and a trusted collaborator by his enemies. Searching for a compromise, he pays the ultimate price for his illusions.