At the end of the 19th century, somewhere in the outskirts of the Russian Empire, a doctor administers a lethal overdose of ether to a young woman – the object of his desire. After getting away with his crime, he finds employment in a fortress, where he continues his experiments with ether to manage pain and manipulate human behaviour. Despite his evilness, it is not too late for his soul to be saved from eternal damnation…

Kryminalni was a Polish crime drama television series that aired on TVN network from September 18, 2004 until May 24, 2008. It ran for 8 seasons and 101 episodes were broadcast in total. It was created by Polish director and screenwriter Piotr Wereśniak and produced by MTL Maxfilm studio. The series followed life and work of police officers from the elite Criminal Terror and Murders Division of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police; the title refers to police officers in the crime section. The three main characters were Adam Zawada, an experienced, tough cup, his younger colleague Marek Brodecki and Barbara Storosz, an ambitious female officer who in the first season joins the team just after graduating. Although none of the main actors had had star status before the series debuted, all three of them rose to prominence and popularity during the 5-year-long run. Many of Poland's best known actors guest starred, usually playing roles of people involved in just one particular investigation. The serial was one of the most popular in Poland: each week it had an audience of 4 million.