
Korczyn is a small village on the Neman River in the 1880s. The memory of the January Uprising still lingers. Teofil Różyc, heir to a dwindling fortune and uninterested in work, courts Justyna Orzelska, the attractive niece of Benedykt Korczyński, lord of Korczyn. Years earlier, Justyna had a mutual love with Zygmunt, Benedykt’s nephew, but Zygmunt’s mother opposed the match, fearing a misalliance. Though Benedykt works hard, he faces financial troubles and is estranged from the Bohatyrowicz family—gentry from the backwoods who fought valiantly in the uprising and were once treated as equals to noble families. After the uprising’s failure, the Bohatyrowiczes were reduced to near-peasant status. Justyna falls in love with one of them, Jan Bohatyrowicz.
Korczyn is a small village on the Neman River in the 1880s. The memory of the January Uprising still lingers. Teofil Różyc, heir to a dwindling fortune and uninterested in work, courts Justyna Orzelska, the attractive niece of Benedykt Korczyński, lord of Korczyn. Years earlier, Justyna had a mutual love with Zygmunt, Benedykt’s nephew, but Zygmunt’s mother opposed the match, fearing a misalliance. Though Benedykt works hard, he faces financial troubles and is estranged from the Bohatyrowicz family—gentry from the backwoods who fought valiantly in the uprising and were once treated as equals to noble families. After the uprising’s failure, the Bohatyrowiczes were reduced to near-peasant status. Justyna falls in love with one of them, Jan Bohatyrowicz.
Zygmunt Korczyński wants to make Justyna his mistress. Meanwhile, she falls in love—mutually—with Jan Bohatyrowicz. Her first visit to the Bohatyrowicz settlement becomes a major event: some welcome her warmly, others voice grievances against the manor. Anzelm and Jan Bohatyrowicz take Justyna to the graves of their legendary ancestors, Jan and Cecylia, as well as the resting place of Benedykt Korczyński’s brother and Anzelm’s brother, both fallen in the uprising. Meanwhile, Teofil Różyc asks his cousin Kirłowa to discreetly find out if Justyna would consider marrying him.