When the gods appear in disguise the only person who shows them hospitality is the young girl Shen Te and for this she is awarded by them. After a while she finds her new life has also brought new problems.

Sven Bertil, a pastor's son, accidentally is hit in the head by a church bell, resulting in a permanent concussion. He is admitted to a mental hospital,. Sven Bertil ends up in a conflict with his psychologist, his father and his father's new woman. He escapes from the institution and joins a group of gangsters. They exploit him for their criminal purposes..

Mania is a new employee at a mental hospital, where she meets a young man with mutism. He gets her to realize that it is a fluid boundary between being healthy and being regarded as sick.