Vikingesønnen Harald bliver ladt alene tilbage i sin landsby med kvinder og børn, da hans høvdingefar slutter sig til en gruppe oprørere i protest mod, at kongen forlanger at få hans skib. Men kongen tager hævn ved at lade en gruppe krigere besætte og tyrannisere byen.

Combining the exultant sweep of epic period drama with the subtle intimacy of biography in a social perspective, this is a tale of materially impoverished childhood, struggling early manhood and an unrequited first love turned into good musical fortune for Carl Nielsen, one of the great composers of the 20th century. Based on the composer's autobiography, the film itself is designed to soar like a symphony.

At their 25th high-school anniversary some bourgeois citizens remember their time in school as a happy one. In reality it was quite the contrary. The school was a madhouse in which the teachers, especially Blomme, tormented the students. As a result one of them became a murderer.