During World War II, Tulle Fiil and her sister, Gerda, are sent to a German prison due to the actions of the resistance group. Back at the inn in Hvidsten, their mother, Gudrun, struggles to bring her daughters home while raising Tulle's daughter.

Marie reluctantly moves from Copenhagen to rural Velling because the love of her life, Rasmus, has taken a job as a teacher at a college. While Rasmus is quickly sucked into the life of the college, meeting Velling is a culture shock for Marie.

In 1940, a Danish industrialist, cooperates with and profits from the German occupation of Denmark, while his family find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict.

Elvira's unambitious job is to answer the phone at a brothel owned by her childhood friend and policeman, Køster. However, when a sex worker goes missing, Elvira feels an urge to investigate, which leads to dramatic consequences.

The growing opposition to the occupation and the increased brutality of the Germans have fatal consequences for the Skov family.