Directed by Andrzej Zulawski, this brutally violent period drama is set in 1793 Poland as the Prussian army invades the country. After conspiring against the king, Jakub is about to be sent to prison when a stranger helps him to escape in exchange for the names of his accomplices. After Jakub travels around the desolate countryside and witnesses countless war atrocities, he arrives home to find his father dead and his mother living as a prostitute. Unable to cope, the young man becomes unhinged and goes on a monstrous killing spree.