it's the 1840s and a rural parish plagued by drinking and fighting gets a new vicar who has decided to instill law, order and fear of God into the parishioners.
The Farmer Germund is planning a wedding between his daughter Marit and Mats, the son of a neighboring farm. Everything seems to be going according to plan until Marit meets the fiddler Jon, an illegitimate son who enchants the youth with his violin.
Sailor Johannes Blom returns to his home port, after seven years at sea, to find that Sally, the girl he has been thinking of while away, is completely despondent. Seven years earlier, obstreperous Alexander Blom, brings his mistress Sally to live with him, his wife Alice, son Johannes, and crew, aboard the salvage boat he captains. Amidst all the tensions on the small boat, Johannes and Sally fall in love with each other.
"I Slew" - Hospital drama of a doctor who thinks that he killed a patient on the operating table.
Eva Örn is a newly graduated teacher, who becomes a school teacher in rural Vikarlunda. She is a beautiful young woman with firm opinions and she does not live up to the locals' picture of the ideal female teacher. She has an affair with the pastor, Ingvar Hagson, but they have to keep their love a secret.
Knut is a farmer's son who wants to get an education and see the world.
Emelie Högqvist is an actress at the Royal Theatre who gets involved in an intimate relationship with the Crown Prince Oscar.
Just before the young Anna is getting married to the lighthouse keeper Holmstrand, she meets the Norwegian sailor John. He falls in love with her, but leaves her when he is told she is engaged.
In a small mine town north of the circle, Torsten lives, working with his sister Eva and comrade Lars, who is engaged to Eva. The town's bat-owner has a daughter, Märta, who, after trying out the big city life, has returned to the village for a while, and begins to flirt openly with Torsten, but also with Lars. Märta hears of an old gold treasure that will be hidden somewhere in the mountains, trying to seduce both of them and seek both friends to find out the treasure. Neither Lars nor Torsten knows the plans or swarms of others, but Eva notices how Märta attracts Lars away from her.
A chief physician at a women's clinic is against abortion. He strongly influence the patients not to abort. But there are doctors who think differently.
Olof Koskela, the only son is driven from home when he wants to marry the wrong girl. He takes a job as a floater. His reputation as a womanizer goes far and wide. When he meets the proud Kyllikki, he enters into a bet to defeat the mighty rapids standing on a log.
Ester is a housewife and struggles for the family but is oppressed by both her husband and her oldest children. When Ester's sister comes to visit for a week, she sees what is going on in the family and she tries to convince Ester to come with her to the city and live with her. Just as a small test.
Professor Barring is awarded the Nobel Prize in physics. According to Barring the scientist's sole duty is to seek the truth, even if this leads to the "gates of hell".
"The Ingmar Inheritance". The story of a group of farmers who choose to leave their homes and follow the preacher Helgum to the Holy Land.
Eva is a very talented and able college girl. In the summer she is going to work at a farm. There she meets a different world of unwanted children, desires and temporary relationships.
The bank employee Bertil falls in love with Margot. He does not know she is the bank director's daughter.
In the beginning of WW II a Swedish ship in a northern French port is exposed to German air raids. The captain take a chance to leave the port without permission. A stranded woman seize the chance to get home to Sweden.
The small town of Gåtatorp in Småland is entirely dependent on its prominent furniture factory. But the factory is in danger because the weak economy means that the bank wants to shut down the factory.
