Combining the exultant sweep of epic period drama with the subtle intimacy of biography in a social perspective, this is a tale of materially impoverished childhood, struggling early manhood and an unrequited first love turned into good musical fortune for Carl Nielsen, one of the great composers of the 20th century. Based on the composer's autobiography, the film itself is designed to soar like a symphony.

Benny and Arnold are homeless and along with others living on Nørrebro in Copenhagen. The police is set to clear the building they squat in, but on the night of the forced eviction, local acid head Spacy jumps from the sixth floor.

Christianshavn 1894 - Headstrong Juliane fights alongside her husband Otto for love and family in strike-ridden Christianshavn. The couple has been married for five years and has two children together. Trade union politics are taking up more and more of Otto's life, and Juliane cannot even get him to tone it down at family gatherings, so Juliane has her hands full keeping track of the home and the children. The family argues about big and small things, from the sisters' disagreement about women's liberation to Otto's political involvement.