In the late 19th century, two Swedish emigrants, Lasse Karlsson and his son Pelle, arrive on the Danish island of Bornholm hoping to find work on a farm and save enough money to travel to the United States of America.

Somewhere on the island of Funen, where the hedgerows surround the meandering fields, lies Uglegaarden. It is the largest and richest farm in the parish, and is owned by the widow Dora and her three brooding stepsons Karl, Viggo and Thomas. Their regular haunt is the village inn, where the crone Sara has to put up with their coarse-grained advances. The three brothers have big plans for the small neighboring farm Mosegaarden. They have discovered that under Mosegaarden's lean fields and high slopes there are large quantities of raw gravel. Chr. Thorup, who owns the site, has mortgaged the farm far above the chimneys. Now the Uglegaards brothers are just waiting for the right time to take over Mosegaarden. But when Thorup's son, Henrik, unexpectedly shows up at Mosegaarden, the three brothers' sinister plans are thrown into disarray.

Among the residents of the boarding house on Fredhvilevej are Børge Blom, a civil servant, the feisty Nelly Smith, and taxi driver Ib Nielsen. Because their house is to be demolished to make way for a parking lot, they are given 14 days' notice to vacate. Good advice is now hard to come by, and after a fruitless visit to the Ministry of Housing, they agree to resort to unconventional methods—they occupy Louisenborg Castle! Upon arriving at the castle with their belongings, confusion reigns supreme—there is moving chaos, a visit from an Arab prince, plenty of drinks, and love in the corners.

The painter Else Kant is in crisis – both artistically and personally. She is dissatisfied with her work and suffers from severe hallucinations and suicidal thoughts. She therefore voluntarily admits herself to a psychiatric ward, where the renowned Professor Cornelius reigns with great authority.