Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Janina's neighbour Oddball tells her that Big Foot has died. They visit Big Foot's cabin and the scene initially suggests he choked on a bone while eating. This incident triggers Janina's growing suspicion that animals might be capable of violence.

Janina discovers a photograph in Big Foot's house showing Big Foot, the Commandant, Innerd, the President, and Father Rustle standing near recently killed animals. She concludes that animals might have killed the victims and that a pattern of animal vengeance is emerging. The image fuels her conviction that humans are complicit or naive.

Janina writes to the local police to share her animal-vengeance theory, but they scoff and ignore her. The Commandant, a hunter, embodies the village's skepticism toward her ideas. Janina remains convinced that a link exists between the animal deaths and the human victims.

The police commandant is found dead beside his car on a rough road. His death shocks the village and oddly reinforces Janina's belief in animal revenge. Dizzy and Oddball are skeptical, while Janina becomes more convinced of a hidden pattern.

Innerd, a local brothel owner and wealthy fur farmer who breeds white foxes, goes missing. His shady dealings lead residents to suspect he fled financially or ran off with a lover. Janina's curiosity about human cruelty and nature continues to deepen.

A hiker named Borys, whom Janina calls Boros, appears in the village. He is an entomologist researching endangered beetles and hopes to persuade the government to protect them. Janina welcomes him to stay, and the two grow closer romantically.

Weeks later, Innerd's decomposed body is found in the forest, with an animal snare around his leg. Janina, Boros, and Dizzy debate whether the death was caused by humans or by animals. The case deepens the sense that nature is enacting its own justice.

Weeks later, the leader of the local hunting club, whom Janina calls 'the President,' is found dead after a drunken festival. His body is covered in beetles, reinforcing Janina's theory of animal-driven retribution. The community grows more unsettled as fear and suspicion spread.

In November, the village plans a celebration for the opening of a new Catholic chapel dedicated to Saint Hubert, the patron saint of hunters. Father Rustle, a friend of the President and an avid hunter, preaches that hunters are ambassadors of the Lord. Janina interrupts the sermon, challenging the crowd and asking if their hearts remain humane.

Days after the sermon, the presbytery burns down and Father Rustle is found dead. The community reels from the double blow of religious crisis and the unfolding mystery of the killings. Janina's sense of being on the right track grows stronger amid the chaos.

Dizzy and Oddball confront Janina, accusing her of the killings. Janina reveals the photograph and explains that while Big Foot's death was accidental, the image ties the four men to the killings and inspired her to kill the next four. She asserts a moral justification born from a sense of animal vengeance.

Police arrive to search Janina's house, but she flees on foot toward the Czech Republic. Boros helps her escape and they go into hiding near the edge of the Białowieża Forest, seeking sanctuary in nature. The pursuit marks the end of her public life and the beginning of her isolation.