In a near future the government decides to save money on psychiatric care. Josh, a mute war victim, is let out on the cold, gritty streets where he befriends the beautiful Maria who hides a horrible secret.

Simon returns to the suburb where he grew up in after his graduation, to work as an teacher in his old school. He becomes aware of an event that involves some of his students in his class. This puts him in a difficult situation.

When the war breaks out, Annika lives with her parents in Värmland, close to the border to Norway. Her cousin Harald is a dealer in the black market but has to escape from the police to Norway. Annika moves to Stockholm and gets a job as a waitress. She meets the happy-go-lucky Berit and together they have a wonderful time. She also meets a young man, Bengt, whom she marries. But almost immediately she discovers that her husband is different from the man who was courting her. Plot by Mattias Thuresson.