A television director (Krystyna Janda) sets out to make a documentary about former socialist hero Mateusz Birkut (Jerzy Radiwilowicz). Initially acclaimed as a hero for his brick-laying skills, with marble statues erected in his honour, Birkut was discredited by the government when he became too voluble regarding industrial politics. The director attempts to reveal the true story by interviewing Birkut's family and friends. An Andzej Wajda film which on its release in Poland evoked the wrath of the Polish Communist Party.