A story amazing in its authenticity of depicting the daily lives of workers and owners of inland navigation barges on the Vistula River. The filmmakers, Aleksander Ford and Jerzy Zarzycki, showed the brutal working conditions and ruthlessness of the protagonists battling for earnings realistically and with no embellishments Lyrics of the songs used in the film were authored by a leftist poet Władysław Broniewski. One of the leading roles is impersonated by one of the most outstanding Polish actresses and theater directors of the first half of the 20th century, Stanisława Wysocka. The film featured parts played by members of the River Navigation Society "Vistula", who also assisted the filming.