The Ring with the Crowned Eagle

Marcin, a young cadet of the Warsaw Uprising, retreats from the city’s ruins with a small group of his soldiers. During the evacuation, he is wounded, and Wiśka, who accompanies him, gives him a ring as a token of affection. His attempt to save her from an attack by an enemy soldier ends in failure. In the hospital, Marcin meets Janka, a nurse, and Major Steinert, a superior from the underground. Together, they try to locate surviving insurgents. Aware of the slim chances of continuing armed resistance, Marcin decides to operate covertly, using the guise of collaboration with the authorities to help former Home Army soldiers. A soldier from the People’s Army he met earlier, known as “Tatar,” takes a position on the regional PPR committee and allows Marcin to work as a driver. However, his activities attract the attention of UB Lieutenant Kosior, who spitefully destroys the symbolic ring given by the Home Army soldier. Marcin tries to bridge the divided sides and negotiates a meeting between the underground leadership and the PPR, but his efforts fail to yield the hoped-for results. Those closest to him—Janka and Wiśka—turn away from him, and his hopes of continuing the mission are ultimately shattered.