A documentary about the Johannes Church in central Stockholm and the quaint neighbourhood surrounding it in the middle of such a big city.

The Old Town of Stockholm has been threatened many times. The worst was when, in 1959, a large motorway was pulled through the heart of the city, a sword cut that split the Old Town in two. The Riddarholm church, where the Swedish regents are buried, is trapped by the traffic that roars forward a few meters away. Who in France would come up with the idea of building a motorway next to Nôtre Dame?

Sara Lidman writes about the longing for children and a man. As a red thread in her diaries and letters, there is doubt about being loved for who she is. She falls in love often. Especially in the love of her life - South Africa. He is black and she is allowed to pay a high prize for her love under the apartheid regime's rags, which closes around her until she finally has to leave South Africa.

A brand new decade begins. There is unrest in many places in Africa and Sweden is sending UN troops to the Congo. The Shah of Persia visits Stockholm and Lena Larsson writes an article she calls "Buy, wear and throw away" - and the debate about this will continue for years.