Karol, an ordinary young man, runs into a much older man, whom he believes to be the so-called Red Spider, the terrifying serial killer prowling the streets of Kraków in the 1960s. Karol becomes obsessed with the man and spies on him. In the meantime he meets Danka, a slightly older photographer, working for the local newspaper. Tempted by love, fascinated by death, Karol will soon have to make the most important choice of his life.
Alicja suffers from memory loss and has rebuilt her own free spirited way of life. Two years later, she returns to her former family to assume against her will her role as wife, mother and daughter. Her estranged husband and son do not recognize this woman who looks familiar and yet behaves like a stranger. Feelings of alienation, love and revelations rekindle her interior flame.