Joanna, the daughter of quite wealthy traders from the Różycki bazaar, is in love with Andrzej, a young, talented, but poor painter. However, the girl's father, Kazimierz Burczyk, decides to find a suitable husband for her himself. A shrewd tradesman, unwilling to disclose his income, searches for a candidate whose professional position would justify his possession of a villa, a car and many other material possessions. In the end, his choice falls on Andrew, who is unsuccessfully trying to sell paintings under the walls of Warsaw's Barbican.

The movie consists of two satirical novels based on the same idea: both the "gangsters" and "philanthropists" end up in the courtroom.

All the ambiance of an old-fashioned circus comes across with great clarity in this otherwise routine psychological tale about a mean-spirited mime and his effects on his colleagues. The small, traveling circus has been sliding downhill for awhile, and unless some new life is infused into its acts, its future does not look very rosy. Into this precarious situation comes a new mime with the uncanny ability to sap the confidence of his fellow performers. If he continues for long in this vein, no one will be able to believe they have any talent left at all.