Komediantka

The series begins in the early 20th century. Mr. Ostarowski, the stationmaster at Bukowiec, is raising his daughter Janka alone. She is clearly exhausted by life in the countryside. She feels lonely and unloved. Her only solace comes from acting in amateur theater and reading Shakespeare's plays. Meanwhile, Andrzej Grzesikiewicz, one of the local "good matches," proposes to her. To her father's surprise and anger, Janka refuses. She suspects that with such a husband, she will face the fate of "Madame Bovary." Curiosity and ambition lead her to take a desperate step. She travels to Warsaw to try her luck as an actress.

Janka Orłowska arrives in Warsaw. Her first steps are at the "Tivoli" garden theater. Director Cabiński, despite initial reluctance, agrees to accept her into the choir. Janka's beauty impresses the cast and the choir director, who unceremoniously tries to seduce her. Orłowska's naivety and provincialism don't make life easy for her. Despite this, she finds a few kind people who help her navigate her new, challenging circumstances.

Orłowska is increasingly coping with her new circumstances. Although she continues to work as a chorus girl, she manages to enter the social elite of the Tivoli Theatre. She gives piano lessons to the director's daughter, and an actress friend invites her on outings and nights out to bars. Janka's beauty attracts the attention of a growing number of men associated with Cabiński's theatre. However, she consistently rejects all advances. To her disappointment, she also discovers that the artistic world is full of people of mediocre talent, hypocritical, and devoid of dignity. Frustrated with her chorus performances, Janka spends her nights rehearsing great Shakespearean roles. However, there's no sign that she'll ever have the opportunity to perform them on stage. A bright spot in Orłowska's increasingly gray life is her acquaintance with a young playwright, who unsuccessfully tries to get his play staged on a Warsaw stage.

After a failed suicide attempt, Janka returns to Bukowiec. Her recovery is slow. Both her father and the doctor overseeing her health keep the cause of Miss Orłowska's "illness" a secret. Despite this, various rumors circulate in Bukowiec. His daughter's misfortune has deeply affected old Orłowski. Although it doesn't come easily, he tries to get closer to his daughter for the first time in years. Alone and despondent, Janka is astonished by her father's transformation. She also discovers that he may be the only person truly close to her. Meanwhile, the girl's health improves enough to allow her to receive visitors. Janka is visited by her old friend Głogowski and Grzesikiewicz, who is still in love with her.

Janka goes shopping with Zaleska in Kielce. There, in a café, she encounters old friends from "Tivoli." Cabiński proposes a return to the theater and a leading role in "Fedora." To win Janka over, he's even willing to sacrifice Majkowska, who, after a stormy breakup with Moryś, is causing more and more trouble. Orłowska asks for time to think. Meanwhile, her father's health is declining. He writes reports on himself and talks to imaginary characters. His grip on reality—to Janka's dismay—is irreversibly diminishing. After a long internal struggle, Zaleska decides to give up her acting career and care for her ailing father. She also accepts Grzesikiewicz's renewed proposal. Meanwhile, Świrkowski learns about Janka's past, including her pregnancy and attempted suicide. He sends Grzesikiewicz an anonymous letter, presenting Orłowska as a woman with a rich erotic past. When Grzesikiewicz breaks off the engagement, he makes Janka an offer she can't refuse.

Janka is staying with Hela Halder, and together with a friend, she visits local writer Stabrowska. Grzesikiewicz arrives to pick her up and take her to Bukowiec, where her seriously ill father is waiting for her. Together, they drive Orłowski to the Bonifratry Hospital in Warsaw. Janka and Grzesikiewicz, now reconciled, marry, travel to Italy, and then settle in Krasnowa. Witowski is a frequent guest at their home. Janka struggles to cope as a housewife in Krasnowa and doesn't always communicate with her husband's parents. The situation changes when their first son is born. Głogowski visits Janka. Seeing that she has become a changed woman, he leaves Krasnowa, saying goodbye, perhaps forever.