In 1997 Wroclaw, Poland, a fax warning of an imminent flood is ignored by politician Jakub Marczak and his team. Six weeks later, Jasmina Tremer, a hydrologist living in the Netherlands, is revealed to be the sender of the fax. While observing the swamps, she witnesses a hunter fatally shooting a mother doe. Jasmina rescues the injured animal but it dies, leading her to confront the hunter and take his ID.

Later, Jasmina, who is on methadone to manage heroin withdrawal, returns to her van where she lives with her partner. Their intimate moment is interrupted by a helicopter from the Polish military, summoning Jasmina urgently to Wroclaw.