Erik Dahl escapes from prison where he is serving a sentence for smuggling. He seeks out his family, but the police have already been there, and he will have to flee. Erik alters their appearance and start a new life as fishmonger in a small town, but he plans to leave the country...

Based on a play by Dario Fo.

In a rural western town in 1890 a woman has a mute old daughter after relations with her step father, which in his need of money, wants to sell them off to a rich skin tradesman. While resisting this, the woman turns lame.