Hopeless romantic Gertrud inhabits a turn-of-the-century milieu of artists and musicians, where she pursues an idealized notion of love that will always elude her. She abandons her distinguished husband and embraces an affair with a young concert pianist, who falls short of her desire for lasting affection. When an old lover returns to her life, fresh disappointments follow, and Gertrud must try to come to terms with reality.
Director Paul Borg (Ebbe Langberg) neglects his young, beautiful wife Marianne (Ghita Nørby). He even forget their wedding day, in favor of a new fast sports car, a beautiful silver-gray Jaguar. During his drive, he runs out of gas. A young lady Laura Lublinski (Hanne Borchsenius), helps him and he takes an innocent flirtation with her. When Marianne learns this, she moves home and dump into an artist community with Jenny (Bodil Steen), Ovengaden of water 52 in Christianshavn. Here she takes the unrepentant Don Juan, Mario (Dario Campeotto) and the guitar-playing Eigil (Dirch compatible).
The princess of Illyria, who has rejected all the fine suitors who have proposed to her, begins to take an interest in a gypsy who wanders around near the castle and who is in fact none other than the prince of Denmark with his friend, Kasper Røghat. The prince entices her with his magical toys, a rattle and a copper kettle, the price being a kiss and a night in the princess's chamber. Casper the Dwarf makes sure that the king is informed of the 'affair', and the princess is thrown out by her father.
