Rafal Wilczur, a talented surgeon and a man of rare soul, becomes the target of an unbridled campaign of persecution organized by his former student and closest colleague, Professor Dobraniecki. Forced to leave Warsaw, Wilczur returns to the remote border village where fate had already kept him for several years and where he was known as a quack healer. Here the further events of the novel unfold, centered on the life of Professor Wilczur — a life full of love for people and self-sacrifice.