Willy-nilly Hero

Events are unfolding in autumn 1848 in Lviv. Shchepko, a stumpy man and Lviv's batiar comes out of jail where he had to spend the last night for an another drunken romp. Shchepko saves a young and beautiful Milcia - the rich Pole Waligurski's daughter from the river. Milcia is thankful to her savior and love quickly breaks out between the two young people. It figures out that Milcia got to the river because of a dangerous maneuver of the carriage, which belongs to the Austrian Empire monarch's nephew. To make amends, the emperor's nephew gives Milcia a ring. Poles and Ukrainians are preparing to the uprising against the Austrian authority. Shchepko remains indifferent even if he has some friends in the Ukrainian underground organization. A regiment from Vienna enters the city. The Poles build a barricade in the centre and start the uprising. Sir Waligurski leads the rebels and his daughter helps him actively. Shchepko gets to know about it from Yasko, a twelve-year-old boy from the Ukrainian underground organization. Together with the boy he finds Milcia meanwhile the Austrians assault the barricade. Through a lot of loss the bravery and inventiveness of Shchepko save the rebels. Ukrainians join the uprising. Famous French writer Hugo appears on the barricade. A new night assault of the Austrians leaves no chance for the rebels, of which the main part dies. Holding dying Yasko in his arms, Shchepko asks Victor Hugo to write about that glorious and tragic moment. Who knows, maybe right that episode had inspired the writer for his famous "Les Misérables"? Shchepko succeeds to take Milcia away from that massacre. He is hurt and together with sir Waligurski and other rebels Shchepko is captured by the Austrians. They all are going to be executed. Milcia comes to Vienna, where the imperator's nephew Francis Joseph I prepares to the coronation. He is the one who gave the ring to Milcia. Impressed by the energy, beauty and bravery of Milcia, Francis Joseph shows mercy to Shchepko and sir Waligurski in one of his first orders. Lviv will still have to meet a lot of its glorious and tragic days. And one of Lviv's heroes will pass the spirit of liberty to the next generations.