A multi-layered novel of manners set in the reality of nineteenth-century Warsaw. It portrays Polish society and its 'last Romantics' and offers a faithful picture of Warsaw life of the period. Against this backdrop, accompanied by Mickiewicz's sonnets, unfolds the story of Wokulski's love for Izabella Łęcka. The diary of an old shop clerk, woven into the novel's narrative, deepens its perspective and helps shape its historical thread.