Hopeless romantic Gertrud inhabits a turn-of-the-century milieu of artists and musicians, where she pursues an idealized notion of love that will always elude her. She abandons her distinguished husband and embraces an affair with a young concert pianist, who falls short of her desire for lasting affection. When an old lover returns to her life, fresh disappointments follow, and Gertrud must try to come to terms with reality.

Bank director L.W. Jacobsen resides in a small provincial town. He is not particularly interested in his wife, Elsebeth, but rather in teacher and city council member Miss Mortensen. Thorsen, the town's manufacturer, is a member of the same city council group as Jacobsen. Then Don Olsen comes to town. Olsen is not interested in the upper class, but rather in people. By chance, Thorsen and Olsen meet and soon become drinking buddies. Thorsen drags the milkman's horse home to his apartment in the middle of the night. The scandal is a reality. Thorsen wants to flee, but with Olsen's help, he instead woos the townspeople and Miss Mortensen under the motto "Make good times better."

In a hospital's five-bed room—room number 13—there are five very different men with very different backgrounds: District Court Judge Winther, fashion designer Philip André, bank teller Madsen, the incorrigible burglar Herluf "Smukke Arne" Jensen, and legation secretary Konrad Konradsen. The legation secretary has done something foolish and fallen into the clutches of the blackmailer Helmer Gamtofte. He is in possession of some compromising photographs, which he keeps in a safe deposit box at the bank where Madsen works. The camaraderie that develops in room 13 becomes the driving force that prompts the district court judge to suggest that "Smukke Arne" help Konradsen break into the bank and steal the photos.

At Vesterbros Torv in Copenhagen, Olsen has his newspaper kiosk. Here comes high and low in society: Homeless, a district attorney with pain in marriage, a barmaid and a writer. They all fight with theirs, while Olsen's good heart makes him interfere in everything he can.

In order to supplement the family income, Marius Bastrup rents his unused rooms to young women looking for a "discreet stay." The drama in the film revolves around the young women and their circumstances, especially as it relates to one girl's abortion.

Denmark, 1967. In the midst of a cultural renaissance, all cultured people want to support Danish cinema, especially when it receives funding from the film fund to shoot scenes on location in a bank. The respectable bankers naturally agree to play extras in their own bank and be a little cultured for just one evening. No one suspects that the film's script is the work of "Grosserer Nielsen" from Vesterport, alias "Smukke Arne." No one suspects why "Karate Smutti" is having a field day teaching physical exercises. No one suspects why little Mrs. Jensen in the attic across from Aktiebanken has two nice lodgers. No one knows why Rosa—Dad's own pet—is fussing over her window boxes in the porch. WHO relieved Aktiebanken of 2 million stray dollars is a mystery—except to Judge Vinter. But Handsome Arne and Rose are enjoying an expensive and wonderful vacation—far, far, far away from Denmark.

Doctor Glas finds himself attracted to a young woman, married to a corrupt clergyman. She's miserable in her marriage, so he agrees to help in anyway he can. But he is quickly torn between passion and morality.

Early morning. A young couple enters their apartment after locking themselves out. The home is completely empty and dark, and there is no sign of the family who had been their neighbors for years. The lights don't work, and when they finally manage to light a match, they see the body of the old girl slumped in an armchair.

Documentary about the making and reception of Carl Th. Dreyer's final movie, "Gertrud."

Two rival young men both desire the merchant's pretty daughter, a bad young man robs the merchant's safe and blames it on "mother-in-law's dream", a worldly-wise grandmother directs the battle of love from her living room, and a couple of silly railway workers spread song and joy.