In the most idyllic East Jutland, the corn stands tall and beautiful, while Count Carl Trolle and his family thrive. The daughter Mathilde and the honorable and hard-working Preben want to get married and are only waiting for Mathilde to turn 18 and Preben to finish his education. But the lazy and sloppy Magnus also has a good eye for Mathilde, and what he doesn't get, he takes.

One night there is a terrible accident in the little station town of Bredsted. The young son of the rich Mogens Kragfelt is struck by the Natekspressen (P. 903) near the station. Police chief Aagesen sends the young detective officer Lund (Jørn Jeppesen) to investigate the case, where there are various mysterious circumstances, among other things there are traces of fights at the rails just where Kragfelt was crossed.

On his journey around the country, Volle has reached Copenhagen with his skarperbør. Volle is an old vagabond who loves his freedom everywhere in the world. His work provides him with just enough for the day and the road, and now and then a shot of schnapps as a bonus, and he does not demand more from life. A coincidence or one of the whims of fate if you will, makes Volle the foster father of 11-year-old Peter, son of the young widow Grete Jensen. Grete is in love with the young removal man Max Jørgensen and he with her. Peter happens to witness Max kissing his mother, he feels betrayed and runs away from home without a word. On the road he meets Volle and tells him a little lie that he has run away from guardianship...

Baldur Justesen is the owner of an ice cream parlor in a Copenhagen suburb. He is a smooth and unassuming man who works hard to keep it running. It is not quite that easy. He has a beautiful, young wife, Sonja, who likes to dress nicely. A man who works all day in an ice cream parlor can also need some diversion, and it is Baldur Justesen's greatest joy to sing in the choir of the "Lyren" singing association.

We are in a small Heurigen-Café in Vienna. The young singer Fritz Hertzgruber meets a young Danish writer, Jesper Ellekilde, and the two young people become friends immediately. Fritz has been to Denmark as a "Viennese child" and is now an enthusiastic member of the Viennese children's own club. The following evening, the club's annual draw for a trip to Denmark takes place, and Fritz is the lucky one - albeit by detours. Fritz and Jesper are accompanied to Denmark, where Fritz is very much looking forward to the reunion with his foster parents, the composer Emilius Andersen and his wife. They were the sweetest people to their Viennese child, and their home stands in Fritz's memory as the epitome of idyll and harmony.

In the small town of Fjordnæs, former accountant Carl Frank lives with his family. He is a sick and broken man who has just finished a prison sentence for fraud. His financial affairs are in an extremely sad state, and he has no chance of getting a job. Frank decides to commit suicide and leaves the house with his revolver. Detective Bloch is called in from Copenhagen when Frank's revolver is found with a young horticultural worker.

After the elections in 1929, where the Social Democrats are ahead, the work of rebuilding Danish society begins in earnest. A bold young man with faith in life, himself and the labor movement returns to the country, as legislation creates the opportunity to live abroad, where he feels at home. Ten years of struggle for work and democratic rule are experienced through living people. Stauning speaks before and after the film.