Danish teens come of age in 1963. Bjorn and Erik are close friends. Bjorn is pursued by Kirsten, a future Stepford wife, but he falls for Anna, who initiates him into love and sex. Erik is somber, caring for his home-bound mentally-ill mother while his strict father rules his life. He desires Kirsten, but she's unattainable. Pregnancy, a horrific abortion, an engagement party, and a revelation about the rectitude of Erik's father lead to a climax: Bjorn and Erik must stand up to controlling adults.

Ellekjær's future is on Ann-Marie's mind. She tries to get her adopted daughter, Grete, married to Erik von der Rude, but Grete loves the farmhand Jørgen. They decide to get married, after which Annemarie disowns Grete. However, Ann-Marie's other daughter, Elin, is in love with Erik. Erik's past in Copenhagen catches up with him, and Elin moves in with her sister. The film then goes through a series of complications before Elin and Erik can finally get married and Ann-Marie is reunited with her daughters.

Emma (Line Kruse) is an eleven year-old only child from a wealthy Danish family. Emma's parents seem more interested in their own interests than in her. One evening when Emma overhears her mother talking about how tragic it must be to have your child kidnapped, Emma decides to stage her own kidnapping. She soon meets Malthe, a kind-hearted, child-like, naïve sewer cleaner who literally stumbles on to her. She convinces Malthe that she is a Russian princess whose family is being chased by Bolsheviks, so Malthe lets Emma stay with him in his very modest abode. After being "kidnapped" for a few days, Emma decides to return home. But, just as she is about to return, she overhears a couple of servants talking about how her parents don't seem to be very upset over her dilemma....

When parliamentary officer Bertelsen finds the body of a man in a light box at Christiansborg one day, he is immediately given time off with official silence, while a murder investigation is kept secret from the press. The dead man appears to be an international arms dealer, and the government has a problem explaining itself.

Werner (William Rosenberg) is an inspector for group of farmes called Digeskov. Left alone by Digeskovs owner, Werner is tricking small neighboring farmes out of there land. The owners doughter find out and stops Werner and she falls in love with a young poor farmer from a neighbor farm.

A shy postman longing for a relationship is reading love letters he is supposed to deliver.

Tine is in love with the young owner of a beautiful castle, Karsten. She has been dreaming about the castle since she was a small child and visiting her auntie, who is a neighbor to the castle. But an evil plot has been made to take the castle from Karsten.

He freed the slaves in 1848. He spoke out against the king and the government. He loved his wives equally. He was colorful, he was autocratic, he was Denmark's last governor-general of the West Indies, his name was Peter von Scholten. The film about him is a magnificent story of greatness, power, and stubbornness on the one hand, and of love, loyalty, and melancholy on the other. It is a colorful gallery of characters that depicts the times, the Dane in a foreign land—and the black man in relief to the white.