At a parish meeting Åsa-Nisse suggests that they should hire a common home help, who could give their wives some relief by staying one week at each household. The meeting assents and decides that the order of her rotation should be established by lot. The two bachelors of the village claim their right to the home help as well, arguing that they are also taxpayers. When Elsa Haglund arrives from Gothenburg she starts her first week of work at one of the two bachelors, the village shop-keeper Sjökvist. He is immediately infatuated by her and begins a flirtation. At the end of the week Elsa happens to meet the other bachelor, Eric Broo, called "the singing farmer". She falls in love with him, but doesn't know how to hook him, as he is very shy and unskilled in courting women. In the meantime Åsa-Nisse, the village rogue, carries out some of his pranks.

A small Swedish village has transformed to an industrial center with exports to Germany. A German opened a quarry some 50 years ago, after realizing the value of granite. Now WW1 begins.

A young woman dies by suicide and leaves all her belongings to her next-door neighbour, who becomes determined to investigate her reasons for taking her life.

The young high school graduate Göran and the 17-year-old Kerstin get to know each other on the estate of Göran's uncle Persson and fall in love. But their relationship is watched suspiciously by the jammed adult world. While Persson has an understanding of the youth, Kerstin's parents and the pastor of the village rant against the alleged immorality of the young people. Despite all the malice, Göran and Kerstin decide for their love. But this love should last only one summer.

Set on the island of Ven in the 1920s, Ellen is engaged with Per the sailor and waits for him while he is away at sea. She works as a maid in a rich family where Robert, the black sheep of the family, tries to seduce her. This leads to a rumour she has been unfaithful to Per. Plot by Mattias Thuresson.

Karin does not belong to the nobility but nevertheless marries the mentally ill king Erik XIV and becomes queen of Sweden. The king's skilled counsellor Göran Persson wants a royal policy supporting the people and supported by it. But in relation to the nobility the king oscillates between provocative strength and unpredictable weakness. Göran arranges that some very powerful noblemen are killed. Subsequently the king tries to have them convicted of high treason by the parliament. He forgets the manuscript, mixes up all facts, and the noblemen are acquitted. But Göran speedily gathers another parliament and has them convicted. Meanwhile Erik apologises because of the unjust murders. Hence Erik is dethroned and imprisoned. Göran is executed. Karin is restricted to a castle in Finland. In the prison Erik believes that he is still the king and gives the guards presents such as all fishes in the Baltic Sea.

The soul of an evil witch about to be burned is transferred to the child of a pregnant woman in the audience. 19 years later a timid girl arrives at a farm looking for work. The farmer employs her despite his wife's protests. Soon it stands clear that the girl is in fact the evil witch, returned to wreak havoc on the farmer and his family. Plot by Mattias Thuresson.

A married writer's luck turns when he gets a play produced at Théâtre de Paris. He meets the femme fatale who should play the lead in his play. Passion and conflict occurs.

A smuggler's daughter falls in love with the son of a customs inspector.

Young drifter tells his story in flashback from prison.