1980. Kamil, a student of Polish philology, publishes an experimental poem in a prestigious periodical. The world around is engulfed in the Solidarity revolution; everyone is required to choose on which side of the barricade one stands. The image of a rebellious opposition writer is very tempting, but to maintain this position one has to... write. But the creative inspiration abandons our hero; he does not do his best at his studies either. In order to avoid being conscripted, Kamil is taken to a psychiatric hospital for observation. There, he comes across the manuscript of an excellent novel left behind by an oversensitive roommate who committed suicide. Nobody but Kamil knows about the existence of the masterpiece...