In a strange little town, somewhere between surreal fantasy and reality, an extraordinary man full of contradictions appears: Kowalski-Malinowski, a Polish everyman, persecuted martyr, mythomaniac, and false prophet. He presents the townspeople with various versions of his life, and they believe the fabricated tales of his wartime experiences. Each character embodies a certain Polish archetype: the tireless soldier faithful to his oath, the Jew, the bard. But all these figures are grotesque and susceptible to Kowalski-Malinowski’s empty words. This symbolic community is drawn into a false game and later into a hypnotic dance, known as the ‘salto’, which the newcomer leads much like Chochoł from Wyspiański’s play. The spell is quickly broken, and reality sets in when Malinowski’s wife arrives in the town and reveals that her husband is nothing but a womaniser and a liar.