1957. Excessively high production standards imposed by the authorities result in the plan not being fulfilled, and the workers cannot imagine living normally without rewards and bonuses. A rebellion breaks out. Worker democracy wins – the working class elects a director from among its own ranks. He is an old locksmith with no managerial experience. Although he believes in the socialist spirit and has a communist past, he does not hold the position for long, as he makes promises too easily that he is unable to keep.

An American actress temporarily stops in Warsaw on her way to Japan, where she gets acquainted with the Polish writer.

Bearing traces of the old Anton Chekhov play The Wedding, The Contract is set during an "arranged" ceremony. The bride and groom barely know each other, but this matters not at all to their tradition-bound families. At the last minute, the bride balks. Only slightly nonplused, the groom's father, a status-seeking doctor, decides to go ahead with the expensive reception anyway. Polish director Krzysz Zanussi uses this scenario to stick it to capitalist corruption, and to society's destruction of the individual spirit. Leslie Caron, the one recognizable member of the cast, is outstanding as a wealthy, over-the-hill ballerina who happens to be a kleptomaniac.