The film is set in the interwar period. Jerzy, a young journalist, spends his vacation alone, kayaking on rivers and lakes. One day, he stops for the night near an old manor house. He learns from the local residents that the once magnificent residence has now fallen into complete disrepair. Even Miss Gabrysia had to be taken out of boarding school because there was no money for her further education. To Jerzy's surprise, the local heiress appears in his tent at night. Complaining about the boredom of provincial life, begging and flirting, she obtains a promise from the journalist to help her escape "into the world."

The year is 1750. Europe is in a ravaged state following a plague. Victor Moritz and Rufolf de Sevre are gamblers, frequenters of elegant casinos and fashionable brothels. Rudolf is a young aristocrat, charming and charismatic. His degenerate behavior has an animal intensity. Victor, though leading the life of libertine, remains to one side. He is a man of a refined taste despite his low birth and buys his noble title thanks to his gambling skills. Victor and Rudolf have been inseparable friends for years. Then two young, beautiful and innocent people - a brother and sister - enter their life...

Two brothers living in 1939 Poland decide on a whim to steal the limousine of a German consul. The seemingly small act of youthful rebellion will have massive ramifications on the two, each dealing with the aftermath in their own way - one resorts to art, the other to direct political action.

With help from a witch, two siblings journey to a medieval land to find the mystical Golden Drops that can cure their ailing mother back at home.

Told as a film within the film, the story concerns an aging actress. Ewa is a flamboyant, pushy actress whose career and love life have come to a dead end. She lives in a faceless housing development. She is totally engrossed in herself and dreams of making a comeback as a singer. But her overbearing personality time after time sets her into conflict with those she tries to work with in the theater and her bedroom.