Adam and Eva Nymann and their 5-year-old daughter, Rose, are a typical 1997 family with two full-time jobs, daycare, and stress. Although Adam helps out at home, Eva is still primarily responsible for the child and the household. One morning, when Adam is dropping Rose off at daycare, they are involved in a serious traffic accident. In a near-death experience, Adam meets their two guardian angels. They tell him that Rose is dying, while Adam himself will die. But the angels give Adam another chance.

Combining the exultant sweep of epic period drama with the subtle intimacy of biography in a social perspective, this is a tale of materially impoverished childhood, struggling early manhood and an unrequited first love turned into good musical fortune for Carl Nielsen, one of the great composers of the 20th century. Based on the composer's autobiography, the film itself is designed to soar like a symphony.