Consul Bergholtz is ill and will probably die soon. Family members gather at her bedside, each with the expectation of receiving a share of the impending inheritance. Among the heirs are her sons, the alcoholic editor Oscar and the homosexual lecturer Ejnar, as well as their pretty and recently divorced sister Esther. But when her grandson, the cunning and unscrupulous businessman Kurt, shows up, the intrigues are stoked. Kurt couldn't care less about good manners and cultural veneer; he simply takes what he wants.

"Naalen" is the title character in the film, a ruthless black market kingpin whose wake inevitably follows a series of other crimes. How "Naalen" got his strange nickname will not be revealed here, but it can be hinted that it has a close connection to the precious and rare commodity he deals in his "business": insulin.

A young, famous crime writer writes under the name Jess Clarck but is actually called Sven Hansen. He is married to a lovely woman who, in her warm, luxurious life, does not understand that her husband draws inspiration for his exciting books by diving in and mingling with the dregs of society. Jess Clarck and his wife have returned home to Denmark, and Clarck wants to write a crime novel for the first time, set in Copenhagen, but how will he find an environment in peaceful Denmark?

The "Tango Bar" is the fashion of the moment. The city's party-goers have chosen the small, cozy, intimate local venue for the night's wee hours. Gaby Grant is an ideal hostess who knows how to get guests to forget the day's sorrows and troubles - and knows how to get them to pay.