Episode 1

Former postal clerk Nikodem Dyzma arrives in Warsaw looking for work. By chance, he comes across an invitation to a banquet. He decides to attend, hoping for a good meal. At the event, he gets into a quarrel with a man named Terkowski. Surprisingly, instead of being thrown out, he receives praise and becomes the star of the evening. Influential guests welcome him into their circle. He meets Colonel Wareda, Minister Jaszuński, and landowner Kunicki, who offers him a job managing his estate in Koborowo. Dyzma leaves his rented room on Krochmalna Street, says goodbye to a prostitute named Mańka, and sets off to begin a new life.