Michal Szmańda suffers from epilepsy, depression and other conditions. He is cared for by his sister Aniela. The only bright ray in her life is the "garden" arranged in the kitchen. They do not live with their mother. When they were children, and this was in Stalinist times, the mother was a labor leader. Possessed by the new ideology, she neglected the house and children. When little Michael was sent to a sanatorium, his mother did not visit him at Christmas. This caused trauma for the rest of his life.