Karin moves from Finland to a small village in Sweden and finds that her love of books is viewed with suspicion.
Mauritz, a handsome but frustrated writer, journeys to an island idyll of the coast of Sweden to enjoy the fleeting summer sun. Soon he becomes romantically involved with Barbro, a sexy young temptress.
It's the early 1950s and Sparvöga's father has lost his job and is suffering from tuberculosis. The whole family is forced to move back in with his parents but for Sparvöga this is the beginning of a great adventure.
