Nikodem Dyzma takes over as President of the Grain Bank. His right-hand man becomes Zyzio Krzepicki, a cunning opportunist. With Zyzio’s help, Dyzma rules the bank with an iron fist while indulging in high society. He meets Countess Koniecpolska, who invites him to her estate for a secret “lodge meeting.” As the “Grand Thirteenth,” he’s the only man among a dozen scantily clad society women. Back in Warsaw, danger looms: his former postal boss Boczek shows up, demanding a lucrative job and threatening to expose Dyzma’s past. To scare him off, Dyzma hires thugs.