A Year of the Quiet Sun

In 1946, Emilia returns home with her ailing mother to a country scarred by war. She struggles to rebuild a life in a dilapidated town and earns a modest living by baking cookies while caring for her mother. The physical and moral ruins of postwar Poland loom over their daily existence.

The U.S. military commission arrives to exhume mass graves of Allied pilots murdered during the war. Norman is assigned as a driver to the commission. As they go about their duty, Emilia and Norman are drawn together by shared experiences of wartime loss.

Emilia and Norman meet when he gives her a ride in his jeep. They come from different worlds and do not share a common language, yet mutual compassion and wartime trauma draw them together. Their bond marks the beginning of a tentative romance.

Norman begins visiting Emilia and her mother regularly, offering assistance and emotional support. Through these moments, the romance gradually deepens despite language barriers and cultural differences. The relationship becomes a beacon of hope in a ruined landscape.

Norman receives orders to return to the United States and invites Emilia and her mother to come with him. Emilia is torn between the promise of a new life abroad and her sense of duty to care for her mother. The decision presses on them all as time runs short.

Emilia seeks guidance from a priest and weighs leaving Poland behind. The priest offers no easy answers, but the possibility of starting anew elsewhere lingers. The weight of family duty and faith complicates her choice.

Emilia's mother dies, highlighting how fragile life remains in a country still in flux. Emilia realizes she may have to emigrate without the person she cares for most. The loss intensifies her inner conflict about staying or leaving.

After her mother's death, Emilia tries to emigrate and contacts a local smuggler to facilitate her passage. The path is perilous and uncertain, reflecting the desperation of many locals seeking a way out. She hopes to seize the chance to join Norman.

At the final moment, Emilia learns that only one person can go. She sacrifices her own opportunity and gives the place to Stella, a neighbor and friend, while Norman departs alone for America. The decision underscores her sense of duty to others in a ruined community.

The film jumps forward to Emilia living in an old-age home run by nuns. A letter arrives from America notifying her of an inheritance, hinting at a life she never fully realized. The message rekindles a distant hope, even as time has closed many doors.

As Emilia tries to travel to the United States for one last time, she becomes physically unable to continue and loses consciousness with a suitcase in hand. The dream of America remains unfulfilled, closed by age and illness. The ending emphasizes memory, sacrifice, and the limits of time.