At a time when Poland has long been absent from the map of Europe, Barbara Ostrzeńska – a proud, but impoverished noblewoman – learns that her great love is marrying another woman. Determined to escape spinsterhood, she marries Bogumił Niechcic, a modest former insurgent and property manager. His peace of mind and sense of fulfillment that his work gives him contrast with her restless nature. Over the thirty years shown on screen, they build a life together in the countryside, but Barbara's yearning for passion and lost status constantly clashes with her daily reality. Disappointed with life, yet in a sense fulfilled in it, Barbara remains a constant challenge – for her loved ones and for herself.