Esben fakes his own death, so he can flee WWI and return to his beloved wife Kirstine and son Karl after 3 years. But everything has changed in his absence. A charming German Officer, Gerhard, has replaced his role as the father, and is trying hard to win Kirstines heart. From his hideout, Esben becomes a witness to a true nightmare and he must fight for love, survival and to save his family
The film is about the early years of famed children’s author Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking) when she experienced something that was a “combination of both miracle and calamity that came to shape her entire life.”