Little Ida's mother is working for the Germans during WW2, and she is also having a relationship with a German SS-officer. Ida is experiencing the problems of having a mother who is involved with the enemy, without being old enough to understand what is actually going on.

Following political upheaval, traditionally poor countries have stopped exporting raw materials. The Western world is entering an economic crisis, which is rapidly spreading to Norway. Unemployment rises sharply, and it becomes more difficult to obtain food. The government does not officially acknowledge the crisis, but fear spreads among the population. Demonstrations between the population and the police are now a daily occurrence. Thomas and Vera are also unemployed. The only way out of their predicament is to move out of the city and rent an abandoned farm. The sale of food is banned. Military forces arrive to confiscate what little they have. Later, the city population follows, traveling to the countryside in panic to secure something to eat.

Young Finn Olaf arrives at the Mo i Rana steelworks and, while befriending crane operator Trond and his wife Margot, embarks on a secret affair with Margot that shatters Trond’s stable existence.