Factory worker Otto Nielsen and his wife Helga live in a 2-room apartment in a sad Copenhagen suburbs district, where the S-trains still bumble by, but of course, such things can be used to. They have five children and it is often difficult to meet daily expenses. Nielsen has bought a building site outside the city, it is his dream to once again be able to exchange the narrow apartment with his own house.

Laurits lives with his granddaughter Adda on a small farm. He has always had difficulty making ends meet, and the bailiff often has to visit Lauritz to try to collect the outstanding taxes. The friendly parish bailiff and dairy manager Rasmus wants to help Lauritz, but he won't hear of it. Rasmus is a kind man who takes care of Pelle, a child in foster care, and also supervises another foster child, Ole, who works at Bakkegården, where the strict manager Børge Andersen makes life difficult for him. Lauritz is popular among the local children and skilled at building kites. One summer...