The action takes place in the 17th century, the turbulent period of the Polish-Swedish war. The plot is woven around the stormy love of the main character in the film, Andrzej Kmicic (played by Daniel Olbrychski), for a young gentlewoman named Olenka. Based on the novel by Nobel prize-winning author Henryk Sienkiewicz, much of this exciting and romantic film was shot in authentic, ancient Polish castles. Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1974. Polish with English subtitles.