
Former postal clerk Nikodem Dyzma arrives in Warsaw looking for work. By chance, he comes across an invitation to a banquet. He decides to attend, hoping for a good meal. At the event, he gets into a quarrel with a man named Terkowski. Surprisingly, instead of being thrown out, he receives praise and becomes the star of the evening. Influential guests welcome him into their circle. He meets Colonel Wareda, Minister Jaszuński, and landowner Kunicki, who offers him a job managing his estate in Koborowo. Dyzma leaves his rented room on Krochmalna Street, says goodbye to a prostitute named Mańka, and sets off to begin a new life.
Former postal clerk Nikodem Dyzma arrives in Warsaw looking for work. By chance, he comes across an invitation to a banquet. He decides to attend, hoping for a good meal. At the event, he gets into a quarrel with a man named Terkowski. Surprisingly, instead of being thrown out, he receives praise and becomes the star of the evening. Influential guests welcome him into their circle. He meets Colonel Wareda, Minister Jaszuński, and landowner Kunicki, who offers him a job managing his estate in Koborowo. Dyzma leaves his rented room on Krochmalna Street, says goodbye to a prostitute named Mańka, and sets off to begin a new life.
An advance payment from Kunicki allows Dyzma to dress properly. When he arrives in Koborowo, he impresses the ladies—Kunicki’s wife Nina and his daughter Kasia. However, when he meets Nina’s brother, the eccentric Żorż Ponimirski, Żorż sees through him. They strike a deal: Dyzma promises to help the legally incapacitated Żorż in exchange for education. Żorż also tells Dyzma about Kunicki—who he is and how he came to possess the Ponimirski estate.