A college professor abandons his family and his career in order to champion his mistress, a student radical accused of killing a policeman.
Dennis and Carl are brothers who live on a small farm in the country. None too bright, Dennis wants a girlfriend for Christmas. Carl makes sure that Dennis gets just that when he meets Rita at the local pub. She is on the run from her husband and she doesn't turn down the chance to hide away at Carl and Dennis's place.
Over the course of a week, sisters Inger and Ellen find their relationship challenged on a highly anticipated coach trip to Paris. Inger reveals her struggles with schizophrenia to the group, receiving both pity and discrimination. On arrival, it soon becomes clear that Inger has a hidden agenda concerning a figure from her past, ultimately involving the entire group in her hunt for answers.
