Film, or rather reportage, tells the story of Halina, a poor woman living in the Bieszczady mountains, who is raising 13 children all on her own, and despite difficult financial situation won't let any of them be taken away to an orphanage. The mother and the 13 kids share the house with dogs, cats, and other animals, mainly caught by the older children who are forced to hunt rabbits, sometimes bring in a fish for dinner or fry a lizard.