"The Life of Marek Zaczek" is a historical novel of a peasant boy who is born in southern Poland in 1772, on the eve of the first Partition of Poland. This novel follows Marek as he grows to become a man of twenty-five. As he matures, Marek thinks only of the past might of the legendary Winged Hussars of Poland, of his future of one day riding as an Uhlan Cavalier, and of one day gaining the hand in marriage of his beloved Maya Manuska.

The period of 1772 - 1797 is explored. It is both a triumphant and tragic period, encompassing the spirit of freedom and liberty in the American War of Independence, the abject terror of the French Revolution, and the criminal acts of neighbor states consuming a sovereign country and culture in the three Partitions of Poland. A palette of historical characters ranging from the greedy and ambitious to the true seekers of liberty and freedom are recounted in the personas of Frederick the Great, Maria Theresa, Catherine the Great, Poland's King Stanislaw Poniatowski, Casmir Pulaski, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, and the Marquis de LaFayette.