A troubled man gets released from prison and starts taking out his sadistic fantasies on an unsuspecting family living in a secluded house.

"The Dancing Hawk" refers to the son of a peasant who senses he can climb to the job in troubled times by playing his cards right. His slavery to work match his ambitions, and gradually he reaches the social position he desires. But the costs have included a dehumanized soul and a loss of a moral conscience. People have had to pay for his advancement, including those nearest to him. The downfall is equally painful: either imprisonment or the easy wasy out are offered as the alternatives.

Textile worker Wanda Gosciminska was a 1950s communist propaganda icon and role model for other workers. The system exploited her, just like so many other individuals, and turned her into a tool of ideological manipulation.