Modrzejewska

Helena lies seriously ill with typhus, and Dr. Tytus Chałubiński fights to save her life. After recovering, she returns to the stage in triumph and succeeds in having a work by Słowacki performed in Warsaw. However, the audience prefers melodramas, vaudeville and popular entertainment, leaving Helena increasingly disillusioned. She begins studying English and considers leaving Poland. After further disappointments, Modrzejewska decides to emigrate and gives her final farewell performance in Warsaw.

Modrzejewska's career in Warsaw reaches its peak as she takes on major roles and becomes one of the city's leading cultural figures. She meets Maria Kalergis, an influential patron of artists and literature, and dreams of creating a truly Polish national theatre. Helena fights to bring the works of Juliusz Słowacki to the stage, while her Warsaw salon attracts writers, artists and other prominent figures of the era. Just as her success seems complete, news of the Franco-Prussian War reaches Poland and Helena falls seriously ill with typhus.

Helena arrives in Warsaw determined to make a triumphant debut and present herself as a new force in Polish theatre. Her self-promotion attracts both admiration and hostility, while intrigues among the actors threaten her plans. Despite numerous obstacles and the withdrawal of potential partners, Modrzejewska takes the stage as Rachel and wins over the Warsaw audience. Within hours, she becomes the city's most celebrated actress. Karol Chłapowski also brings her important news about the possible recovery of her son.

Back in Kraków, Helena begins a new chapter of her theatrical career. She quickly attracts attention with her talent and becomes a rival to the celebrated actress Antonina Hoffmann. When Zimajer takes away her child, Helena is devastated and determined to regain her son. She meets Karol Chłapowski, a passionate admirer of the arts, and their relationship develops into a romance. At the same time, Helena prepares for her long-awaited debut in Warsaw. Eventually, she marries Chłapowski.

In Czernowitz, Gustaw Zimajer increasingly treats Helena as a means to improve his own fortunes. His attempts to arrange a wealthy admirer for her lead to a serious conflict between them. Helena makes her debut performing in German and begins to see the possibility of a major theatrical career. As she develops her own ideas about acting, her determination to gain independence grows. The death of her second child finally leads her to leave Zimajer.

In Bochnia, Helena begins performing in a small theatre established by Konstanty Łobojko and Gustaw Zimajer. Łobojko gives her the stage name Modrzejewska, and she soon achieves her first successes. Life on the road brings exhausting work, financial difficulties and conflicts within the company. Helena and Zimajer eventually leave for Lviv and then move on to Czernowitz.

In mid-19th-century Kraków, fourteen-year-old Helena Misel grows up in a family surrounded by the artistic world. Her fascination with theatre is encouraged by Gustaw Zimajer, an actor who becomes increasingly influential in her life. After an unsuccessful audition with actress Józefa Hubertowa, Helena's relationship with Zimajer develops into a scandalous affair. In 1861, the family leaves Kraków for Bochnia.