Anna Borg

A large city is in a state of panic, in workplaces and in homes people are discussing the terrible fate that has befallen a little girl named Birte. A sex offender has been at play, he has been haunting the city's parks and facilities for a long time, and his latest victim is Birte Elkær, daughter of the scientist Hans Elkær and his wife Martha. The police have deployed extra personnel, and they are now searching for the second day. Will the little girl be found alive?

Composer Jørgen Rhoders lives an easy life, at least according to his son Per. Per and his stepsister, Ulla, decide to give their father a little trouble so that his compositions will improve. However, Jørgen deceives the children, and only when the children cause their parents to fall out does the situation seem to improve. Meanwhile, Ulla believes that Per is in love with Lily.

The main character is an orphaned young woman who is about to be married off to an unappealing but rich old man, Mr. Sleeman, at the instigation of her aunts who have taken charge of her. Bergman infuses the situation with overtones of rueful pessimism concerning life in general.