Ulla and Gunnar meet and fall in love in Stockholm in the late 1930s. Early in their relationship Ulla discovers that she is pregnant but she decides to get an abortion because she doesn't want to pressure Gunnar into marrying her. The outbreak of the war puts a strain on their relationship when Gunnar gets called up for military service.
After finding his wife in the arms of another man, an army officer kills his rival and then goes by train to Finland to fight in the Winter war.
The chamberlain Carl Johan Stjärna is a poor aristocrat who has to resort to borrowing money from his manservant Frans to afford champagne and restaurant visits. Frans has told his fiance Irene that he is an aristocrat which leads to some complications, not least because Irene has told Frans she is a rich land owner's daughter, although she is in a housemaid.
