Sven Gjeholm is a writer of sex books. His wife finds this a bit odd, considering he's not really into sex. Since Sven can't get any peace to write his books because of journalists and other curious folks who want to see how a sex writer lives, he decides to move to the small Norwegian town of Mårböosen. However, the town's residents have already heard about Sven and his writing, and he is not welcomed with open arms. Soon, however, the town's residents realize that Sven attracts a lot of tourists, and when Sven decides to flee once again, good advice is hard to come by. Sven has no choice but to stay in town.

A poor French teenage girl engages in an illicit affair with a wealthy Chinese heir in 1920s Saigon. For the first time in her young life she has control, and she wields it deftly over her besotted lover throughout a series of clandestine meetings and torrid encounters.