Jansson returns home after many years sailing the world. His two groups of relatives both want him to stay with them in hopes that he will leave them a large share of his inheritance.
Mattsson is a fisherman and widower in the Stockholm archipelago. He has two adult daughters that help run the household, Magda and Lena. Lena prefers to shirk her duties and read romance novels. She is being courted by the neighbour boy Per who covers for her whenever he can.
The newly appointed director Hugo Henriksen gets into a fight and accidentally hits a prostitute. When Hugo is trying to leave the scene the girl dies.
Ursula is the only daughter of a rich landowner high in Sweden. At 20 her father dies and she becomes reluctant heiress to huge property. Ursula is emotionally torn between a young handsome forester and farmer.