In a Danish village in the early 1600s, a young woman named Anne, whose mother was thought to be a witch, develops sympathy toward an old woman, Marte, who is accused of witchcraft. The intervention of Anne's older but kindly husband, Pastor Absalon saved her mother -- but now, urged on by his overbearing mother, he refuses to help Marte. When Absalon's son returns home and is attracted to Anne, it's a matter of time before her family destiny catches up with her.
We are in a Zealand village in the years before the reading of the staves. Jacob, the son of alderman Jeppe, goes from farm to farm and blows for the town meeting. Today the farmers are to meet to discuss when to start the rye harvest. The young farmer, who is eager to get started, does not have much confidence that they will be able to agree. When he gets home, he asks his father why they cannot harvest right away. Maybe it will be like last time, when the rye was rotting in the field. He does not understand that they always have to wait for the others. The old farmer gives him a sharp rebuke: "Don't pretend to be smarter than you are!“
