This comedy-drama tells two stories of life in Poland during World War II. In "Scherzo Alla Pollaca," a man is trying to worm his way out of military service, goes underground, and starts to deal on the black market to support his family. He unwillingly becomes involved with the Polish Resistance, and in time he becomes a brave and valued member of the rebel forces, but also one whose will to survive proves to be greater than many soldiers' ideal of self-sacrifice. The second segment, "Ostinato Lugubre", is set in a Polish concentration camp. One inmate decides that he can no longer stand to be confined and makes a brave if foolhardy attempt to escape. While no one is sure if the man has actually made it out, his absence troubles the guards and provides a sense of hope and inspiration for the other prisoners.
(Mark Deming for www.allmovie.com)