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.

A different kind of Danish film about Denmark, the Danes, and everyday life in Denmark. An episodic film consisting of different storylines, which are linked together by several smaller scenes.

A picture of the life of the Danish people from the late 1820s to the introduction of the free constitution in 1849. A fictional character, Rasmus Nielsen, travels around the country, first as a traveling teacher, later in other positions, and through his experiences we are introduced to the conditions of various population groups. The central figure in the portrayal of historical figures is the politician Orla Lehmann.

The heavy prison door in Vridsløse opens, and freedom beckons once again to counterfeiter P. Krone-Strøm. He has served an eight-year sentence, but believes it was a miscarriage of justice. He was one of the many who could not find employment during the crisis years of the 1930s in Denmark. Now he is once again in contact with the world outside the prison walls, but conditions have changed completely during the years he has spent in isolation. Now it is not money that is lacking in society, but labor and goods.

On the 9th of April 1940, the crew of a Danish merchant ship receives the news of Germany's invasion of Denmark. Instead of returning home, they vote in favor of setting course for England. The crew will undergo much hardship over the next five years ...