A picture of the life of the Danish people from the late 1820s to the introduction of the free constitution in 1849. A fictional character, Rasmus Nielsen, travels around the country, first as a traveling teacher, later in other positions, and through his experiences we are introduced to the conditions of various population groups. The central figure in the portrayal of historical figures is the politician Orla Lehmann.
Egon, a young man from Jutland living with relatives in Copenhagen, meets sensible young girl Ruth and falls in love. But Egon is involved with a gang of criminals, and when they assault a man they meet in a bar they are caught by the police. Egon is sent to a juvenile home, but can he stay out of trouble?
Factory worker Otto Nielsen and his wife Helga live in a 2-room apartment in a sad Copenhagen suburbs district, where the S-trains still bumble by, but of course, such things can be used to. They have five children and it is often difficult to meet daily expenses. Nielsen has bought a building site outside the city, it is his dream to once again be able to exchange the narrow apartment with his own house.
