The action takes place in the 17th Century, the turbulent period of the Polish-Swedish War.
The plot is woven around the love story of the main character in the film, Andrezj Kmicic (played by Daniel Olbrychski), for a young gentlewoman named Olenka. Based on the novel by Nobel Prize winning author Henryk Sienkiewicz, much of this exciting and romantic film was shot in authentic, ancient Polish castles.