All his life, Lieutenant Janusz Wysocki desired Viktoria, the newlywed wife of his best friend, Aleksy Bednarski. The start of the Polish-Russian war in 1830 gave Janusz an opportunity to separate them. He convinced Aleksy that the Russians thought he was the leader of the revolt. Believing it to be true, Aleksy went to Gdansk to seek shelter on a ship captained by a friend of Janusz. During the night, the sailship departed for open waters. Ultimately, it docked in New York where Aleksy remained for six years. Janusz had convinced Viktoria that Aleksy was dead, but his plans were thwarted when he was captured by the Russians and sent to Siberia. Viktoria remained alone in Warsaw until the three of them are reunited there for the climactic confrontation.