Gunnar Hede is raised by a strict mother, who wants him to become respectable to match his family’s wealth. He is more interested in his grandfather, who started as an itinerant violin player, but got rich by leading a herd of wild reindeer south to market. He falls for a violinist working with a married couple of traveling performers and renounces his fortune to go with them. He then tries to earn a fortune by driving reindeer to market, but it doesn’t work out and he goes insane. He is finally restored to sanity by the violinist when she returns with the performers.

Three Scottish officers, including Sir Archi, murder Sir Arne and his household for a coffin filled with gold. The only survivor is Elsalill, who moves to relatives in Marstrand. There she meets a charming young officer- Sir Archi- and she soon understands that he was one of the murderers.