The novel begins in a small village or town in Poland. A man lives as a doorman and guard in a summer resort complex. In late summer, a mysterious guest arrives and wants to buy beans, but the host has unpeeled or drained beans. The two people sit down to peel the beans together and begin talking while peeling the beans. Within one day, the hero narrates with amazing precision his difficult life during World War II, passing through his youth, hobbies, and years of study, then traveling in search of material gain abroad, then his return to his homeland. In this way, he presents an account of his entire life. It is the story of an old man who remembers with philosophical distance the hopes and failures of his life.