The Constant Factor 1980

Witold is a graduate of a school for electricians who, during his military service, takes part in high-mountain climbing. One of the mountaineers at the shelter mentions Witold’s father, who died during a mountain expedition. Thanks to the business card he receives from this mountaineer, [Witold] obtains a job in an exhibition company after his service, allowing him to work abroad frequently. During these assignments, he notices that his boss, Mariusz, is issuing fraudulent visas.

His mother, Witold’s mother, becomes suddenly ill, and he travels to a provincial town to visit her. In the hospital, she lies on a bed in the corridor because the ward is full. A nurse tells him that a bribe would have been required to secure proper space. His mother returns home in a deteriorating condition and dies soon after. Unable to shake off his mother’s death, he rebels against Mariusz when the latter, on his next business trip, invites him to take part in various minor frauds. His colleagues, who are in league with their boss, harass him.

As he, with his military comrade Stefan, prepares for a planned trek to the Himalayas, his coworkers frame him; at customs, an undeclared amount of two hundred dollars is found on him. Witold loses his job, and the only person who stays close to him is Grażyna. He then earns his living as a window cleaner for skyscrapers and as a scaffolder during the renovation of monuments. He attends lectures on mathematics at the Polytechnic as an unregistered student. Although a professor urges him to pursue regular studies, he remains skeptical about the option. One day, while working on scaffolding for a crumbling facade, a small child chasing a ball is struck by falling debris. The film ends with a scream.