Jan Purzycki

Released from prison after five years, con-artist Szu is sent packing by his young wife; he heads for the town of Lutyn where he runs a con and attracts the interest of Jurek, a young cab driver who imagines himself a great grifter. Szu ("Sharp") teaches Jurek a few tricks enabling the young man to win some money in Wroclaw, then Sharp departs with Jola, a prostitute who offers him a mark. How that plays out, Jurek's determination to win big, Sharp's cold calculations, and the wages of sin await.

The 1920s, the southern border of Poland. Smuggler Józef Trofida is released from prison. From his friend Władek, he learns that he has lost his dominant position in the world of smuggling to the Alińczuk clan. To change this, Trofida organizes further expeditions, which multiply his wealth many times over. The next smuggling operation—exposed by Alińczuk—ends with Józef's death. Władek decides to take revenge on the hated clan.