"Crocodile tears" - Fellowship is replaced by suspicion and hatred in a Stockholm suburb. Wheelchair-bound retiree Hugo lives with his wife and his mentally unstable son.

As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.

Two brothers meet again after a few years away from each other. Jerry has been in prison for petty crimes but has now decided to try to live honestly and build a family. Kiljan is a dreamer who lives a life of a bohemian.