The year 1808. After a conflict with her mother the 12-year-old Jossi flees home. With nowhere to go she improves her conditions by dressing as a boy. She meets a charming man who takes her as his protege. The man is none other than the famous master thief Lasse-Maja.

Middle aged bourgeoisie couple lives a loveless life along with their beautiful eighteen year old daughter. The man has a passionate desire for the girl who in fact is not his real daughter but the fruit of an affair of the woman early in the marriage. This leads to tragic events.